


God of Mischief // Queen of Chaos

by melanoms



Series: God of Mischief // Queen of Chaos [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Norse Religion & Lore, Angst, Casket of Ancient Winters, Confused Loki (Marvel), Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, First Love, Friends With Benefits, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Feels, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Ragnarok, Reader is a bit of an asshole, Sakaar (Marvel), Sexual Tension, Valhalla, she's a bit messed up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoms/pseuds/melanoms
Summary: Loki arrives on Sakaar and requests an audience with the Grandmaster. But to his surprise, you take a greater interest in him and make the dashing prince your new favorite plaything: in the bedroom and out. Chaos ensues as you terrorize the city together. But when secrets come out that you might be the key to Asgard's salvation or destruction, you have to ask: will you abandon your chaotic rule or help Loki relieve his homeland of the burden of his family drama? Can you be a hero? And is it even worth it?
Relationships: En Dwi Gast | Grandmaster & Reader, Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Series: God of Mischief // Queen of Chaos [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668595
Comments: 13
Kudos: 106





	1. The Mischief Has Just Begun

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of [If You Should Ever Be So Fortunate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23098276). Honestly, I had no idea where this was heading when I first started. And I am truly delighted with where the story decided to take us. I hope you enjoy the journey as well.

You scurried through the throne room in a fit of giggles. As you sped past a column, a hand grabbed you and pulled you around to the other side. Colliding with its owner, Loki stopped your momentum by firmly placing his hands on your shoulders.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” he scolded.

Breathing heavily, you glanced over your shoulder to see if your pursuer was anywhere nearby. 

“Are you even listening to—”

You placed a finger over his lips to shut him up. Loki wrinkled his brow and leaned over to see what you were looking at

Topaz strut into the room clad with balled fists, flaring nostrils, and a red face. Your eyes quickly darted to Loki. 

“Laugh with me,” you whispered. You erupted into an over the top false laugh and playfully bat his shoulder. He followed suit with a light chuckle, raising his eyebrow at you in confusion.

“WHERE IS SHE?” Topaz shrieked.

The Grandmaster’s eyes flickered over to you. You gave him a wink and he rolled his eyes. He strode over to Topaz with a glazed look.

“What is it now?”

“She rewired all my light switches.”

He shrugged and turned around to abandon the coming argument. 

“We’ll get someone to fix them again,” he said with a lazy wave of his arm

“ _Anytime_ I flip a switch, a disco ball drops from the ceiling, lights start flashing, and your birthday song from the Commodore starts playing.”

The Grandmaster spun around with his palms together and fingers tapping against each other. He cocked his head.

“A new disco ball each time?” 

“Yes,” she deadpanned.

He placed a hand over his mouth to stifle a small chuckle; tickled by the thought of your fine work. But Topaz pressed onwards with her agenda.

“You _know_ this was her doing. Are you ever going to punish her?”

“My birthday isn’t for another two months. I didn’t know that you wanted to celebrate early. Sounds like a rowdy good time.”

Then the Grandmaster laughed himself away to his next adventure. Topaz stormed out of the room in a huff. Her disappearing act trailed with the sound of her thunderous footsteps and unforgiving grumbles.

Throwing your hand on Loki’s shoulder, you buckled over in an uncontrollable laughing fit. He watched you with curiosity and smiled; still new to you and the rules of this foreign land. Upon seeing the magnitude of your pure glee, he let out a light chuckle and helped you to stand upright when your laughing subsided.

You wiped a tear from your eye and took a few deep breaths.

“Every year. Every fucking year. Except for this time, I didn’t make an off switch. Just added more disco balls.”

Loki furrowed his brow. “You never get in trouble?”

“Why would I?”

You shrugged and let out a few final giggles. Loki narrowed his eyes and glanced around. 

_A realm where a princess could revel in as much mischief as she desired? Even contributing to the enjoyment of her father?_

You pecked him on the cheek and grabbed his hand to start walking off. But to your surprise, your arm jerked as he remained in place. Freeing his hand from your grip, you whipped around and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m starved. Let’s eat?”

Collecting his thoughts back to the present moment, Loki gave you a nod and walked after you.

He certainly was not on Asgard anymore.

When you got there, the restaurant was completely packed. You lazily pushed people to the side to get to the bar. From behind, you could hear Loki whispering “excuse me” and “pardon me”, even over the loud buzz of the room. 

It was downright embarrassing.

You spun your head around to look at him with a cocked eyebrow. He looked back at you with wide, dazed eyes. Rolling your own, you turned back around and flung your torso over the bar.

“Barkeep!” you yelled with a raise of your arm. “A few drinks for me and my insufferably polite companion!”

The bartender sauntered over and slowly leaned over her side of the counter. She bit her lip and flashed you a delightfully troublesome grin.

“And what will satisfy you tonight, my princess?”

“Oh, surprise me.” You smirked and pranced off. Leaving her to enjoy your wink and her own wicked thoughts.

You tugged Loki by the collar of his leather to lead him to your designated table. You threw yourself into your seat and kicked your feet up on the table. Once he adjusted next to you, you stroked his cheek with the back of your hand.

“Are you liking it here, pretty eyes? Don’t think I haven’t noticed your change in demeanor. Do you only bring out that sexy smug side of yours for the bedroom? It would be a shame.”

He smiled and let out a gentle laugh.

“Oh, I assure you. My cockiness can be quite versatile.”

“Then what troubles you, my beauty?”

He looked down and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

You opened your mouth to speak. But before you could begin, your drinks arrived. The bartender made sure to bring them herself. She leaned in close behind you and grazed your shoulder with her arm. You set your feet back to the ground when she placed the drinks on the table. 

“Thank you, angel. Could you also bring us something to eat?” you purred. You played with your hair and gently bit your bottom lip. She bowed her head at your request before leaving you to attend to your guest.

“Good god, woman. Do you always have to be so _obvious_?”

“Jealous?”

“No, it’s just—”

“Because I’m a woman?”

“No, I—”

“Look, I told you from the moment that we met that I do what I want. If you have a problem with that, no one’s keeping you prisoner.”

You downed your drink and glowered at him over the glass. Matching your gaze, Loki slowly picked up his own and took a drawn-out sip. You tossed your glass to the side, unbothered when it shattered. 

Leaning closer into him, you placed your elbows on the table. He set down his drink and mirrored your movement to close the distance between the two of you. Your faces mere inches from each other, you whispered into his lips.

“There he is.”

You inclined your head and licked a stripe behind his ear. He let out a low chuckle as you snaked your hands up his thighs.

“You are going to be quite a bit of trouble aren’t you?” he breathed.

“Oh, pretty eyes. The mischief has just begun.”


	2. Tragic Backstories Get You Off?

On his ninth day in Sakaar, Loki woke up in a tangle of crumpled sheets and exhausted limbs. He glanced down to see you strewn across his bare chest. Your head rested on his shoulder while your arm lazily draped across him.

Taking in the sight, a nearly imperceptible grin ghosted across his lips. He lifted his hand to stroke your hair and chuckled lightly at the sound of your gentle snores.

“Errm, too domestic,” you groaned. Without opening your eyes, you scrunched your face and took a deep breath. 

Loki removed his hand from your hair and raised his eyebrows. But when you curled even tighter into his open embrace, he returned his hand to your body; placing it tenderly on your exposed back.

“Good morning to you too,” he said.

“I’m bored.”

“You haven’t even opened your eyes yet.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t still be bored.”

You withdrew yourself from his body for a brief moment. Outstretching your arms as far as possible, you yawned then rubbed your eyes to remove their traces of slumber. You plopped your head on his chest so he was a breath’s distance from your face.

“Topaz?” he offered.

“No, I planted fungus in her shower. I need to wait for it to grow.”

“Doesn’t mean we still can’t create even more trouble for her today.”

You shook your head then turned to place your cheek to his chest. You started tracing shapes over his skin and let out a sigh.

“I like to have only one brilliant prank in action at once. To truly enjoy her suffering. Without any respect, chaos is just, well, chaos.”

Loki chuckled and leaned in to kiss your head. You wrinkled your nose at his tender offering. But continued to stroke his body. A wicked grin beamed across your face when you noticed his goosebumps.

You shot upright and smirked.

“I demand destruction.”

He raised his eyebrows for you to continue. To his pleasure, you swung your leg over his waist to straddle him. Gradually lowering yourself to his face, you whispered into his ear.

“Time to take our explosive natures _out_ of the bedroom.”

You raised your head to look at him straight on. Loki's pupils blew wide open as he drank in your look of pure sin. He seized your hips in his hands to demand closer contact with your body. In response, you released a startled moan.

“Please remind me just how explosive you’d like your day to be,” he goaded.

“Only if you don’t say please.”

“I certainly won’t ask nicely a second time.”

Loki skillfully flipped you onto your back. Your body softly bounced on the mattress as he loomed over you. You opened your mouth to egg him on. But he stole your words with a hungry kiss before devouring the tender flesh along your neck. You enthusiastically moaned in approval.

Yes, Loki first.

Destruction second.

\---

Right after you stepped out of the shower, you heard a knock on your door.

“Hey, sweets. Topaz needs you to check out the Melt Stick,” your father said.

Still wrapped in a towel, you cracked open the door.

“If she would stop breaking it, she wouldn’t need me.”

“I know, but I need it today. Could you come take a look? Plenty of punishments to dole out.”

“Of course. I’ll be there in just a moment.”

“Thanks, princess.”

You closed the door and threw some clothes on. Loki walked out of the bathroom and wrinkled his brow at your unsettling state of dress.

“Where are you going?” 

“Work.” You threw on one of your boots and fumbled with the laces.

“Work?” He cocked his head to the side. 

“Of course. Unlike you, not all of us have the luxury of causing trouble and having mind-blowing sex all day.”

You tossed your hair out from the collar of your top. Then, in a blur, you flew out the door.

In his brief time with you, all Loki only ever saw you do was satisfy your immediate desires. What could you possibly do for... _work?_

Still in thought, you swung the door back open to poke your head back inside your room.

“Are you coming? You should probably get dressed. My dad would hate to see you naked.” You examined his body one more time. “You’re not his type.” You shrugged.

Loki scrambled to get dressed and ran to follow you throughout the palace. You dashed to the elevator and carelessly pressed the down button. When the doors opened, you bounced inside and Loki gracefully stode in after you.

With you and Loki standing side by side, the elevator descended to the garage. You crossed your arms and tapped your foot as you tried to think of the mess Topaz could have caused. 

Loki looked you up and down. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it. Instead, he allowed the two of you to stand in silence. 

Lost in thought, you took no notice of him. He examined you as you furrowed your brow and scrunched your face. He noted how you bit the inside of your cheek and how intensely you stared into the distance; completely consumed in your mental focus. He hadn’t seen this side of you yet.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and Loki interrupted your train of thought.

“What _do_ you do for work?”

Still looking into the distance, you said, “I break things.”

He furrowed his brow.

“And make things.”

But before he could question you further, the elevator doors opened and you strode through the garage. Walking past a variety of alluring ships, you stopped at a set of large industrial doors. Noting Loki’s close proximity, you raised your hand to shield his view of the keypad as you quickly punched in the code to open the doors.

The exact instance the doors were open enough for you to walk through, you ducked to enter. A moment later, Loki followed you inside and was surprised to see an expansive workshop.

Scraps of metal, coils, and panels littered the shelves along the wall. Racks were piled high with bins that contained an assortment of fixtures, wires, and odds and ends. 

Three long, metal tables filled the center of the room. The one on the right had a few keypads with wires protruding from them. The one on the far left was covered in an assortment of weapons; all in different states of completion and decomposition. 

Guns, lasers, hammers, and shields. If you could hurt someone with it, it was on that table. His eyes lingered on a small disk that would erratically send a few sparks out of it. The wires sprawled out of it like the legs of a spider.

Even for the disheveled state of your workshop, the center work surface was completely barren except for the Melt Stick. The Grandmaster and Topaz stood on one side of the table. You approached them on the other side.

“What did you do this time?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Topaz growled.

“Girls, play nice,” your father pleaded.

You grumbled as you yanked the weapon from the table for closer examination. The end had a black-brown goo crusted on it. Suddenly, a small spark electrocuted you from the handle.

“The fu—” you turned it to see the source of malfunction.

Topaz scrunched her face and frowned.

“Oh don’t look so disappointed that it didn’t injure me more. What the heck were you doing with it anyway? It’s disgusting.”

“I had to eradicate a fungus.”

You snapped your head up to look at her. Suppressing a grin, you narrowed your eyes.

“A fungus?”

“Yes.”

“Surprisingly fast growth rate,” you muttered under your breath. 

Loki chuckled behind you. You turned around to flash him a smile and a wink. Then returned to your puzzle.

Topaz slammed her hands on the table. But the Grandmaster rolled his eyes and lazily outstretched his arm in front of her to hold her back.

You popped open the main panel and looked inside. One of the wires was completely fried raw. You set the stick on the table and looked back up at them.

“Well?” Topaz goaded.

“Easy fix. Give me 10 and I can get it working for you,” you said to your father with a smile.

He brought his hands together in prayer and bowed to you. 

“Thank you, sweets. What would I do without you?”

“Get infinitely more creative with killing people.”

He chuckled and smiled in appreciation as he started to exit your workspace. Topaz glared at you. But when the Grandmaster clicked his tongue for her to follow, she begrudgingly broke eye contact to sulk after him.

You walked over to a bin with assorted wires and started sifting through it. Humming as you searched, you could feel Loki’s eyes on you from afar.

“You’re a mechanic,” he remarked.

Finding the wire you were looking for, you triumphantly lifted it from the bin. “Aha,” you whispered, eyeing the object of your quest. You spun around to walk back to Loki and the Melt Stick.

“Yeah, of course. I told you. I break things and I make things. In a place like this, you have to learn to make the most with what you get.”

You turned off the power supply and disassembled the secondary panel of the Melt Stick. Fiddling with the wires, you started to fix the mess that Topaz created. She always impressed you with her level of dumbassery.

Loki strode next to you. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the table as he watched you work.

“How long have you been here?”

“Time works differently here than the rest of the universe,” you answered without looking up.

“I know. But how much of your life have you been here?”

“Since I can remember.”

You held out the Melt Stick to admire your work. After popping the external panels back into place, you grabbed a rag to erase the remaining evidence of your brilliant prank.

“A scrapper found me in a pod and took me to my father. He pitied me and decided to raise me as his own.” 

You snapped your head up and looked at him with wide eyes. Dropping the rag and weapon onto the table with a loud, careless clank, you took a step closer so you could grab ahold of his shoulder. Your thumb barely pressed on his throat as you added a touch of extra pressure. Narrowing your eyes, you growled, “Why? Tragic backstories get you off?”

Loki took a step back and raised his hands in defense. Loudly clearing your throat, you returned to polishing off the last of the Melt Stick.

“No, I didn’t mean to impose. I simply wanted to know more about you.”

“The only thing you need to know about me,” you tossed the rag to the side and set down the Melt Stick, “is how to please me. You’re a quick study at that. So drop it.”

You walked over to the weapons table and picked up an oversized laser cannon. You carelessly tossed it to Loki who caught it with surprise. Then you snatched up the Melt Stick and briskly strut past him. 

You only paused on the other side of the door to let him cross the threshold before you closed it. Not that you hadn’t thought about trapping his nosy ass in there and taking the cannon yourself.

At the elevator, you repeatedly smashed the up button with an unforgiving pace. Satisfied with its punishment, you took a step back and vacantly stared at the door.

“We’re taking this to my father then going to blow shit up.”

He nodded and looked at you with somber eyes. 

“As you wish.”

“Much better,” you grumbled before walking into the elevator, still refusing to make eye contact with him.

Once inside, you started brainstorming your next torment for Topaz. 

Yes, something explosive would have to do. Good thing you’d get some additional inspiration today.


	3. Driver Picks the Music

Passing the Melt Stick to your father seemed to erase any remnants of your unpleasant encounter in the workshop. 

Loki observed you from the doorway; collecting more information for his mental library on the peculiarities of this foreign land. To his surprise, it was filled to the brim with volumes about you. 

How you always drank your first drink with insatiable thirst but chose to savor the ones after. Your constant need for stimulation and entertainment. The way you bit your lip when you were aroused versus nervous. The three times he woke up in the middle of the night to a cold side of the bed and the sounds of gentle whimpers from the bathroom. 

Of all the information he gathered so far, it appeared that most of his field notes were about you. He wasn’t sure if he minded.

Sometimes, he thought about home. He wrinkled his nose whenever Thor dared to intrude his thoughts. But Loki always concluded that Hela must have killed him and reminiscence was a lost cause. The efficiency of this tactic grew stronger each time he flexed his mental muscles. It started to almost feel true.

Remaining by your side was a purely strategic decision. Loki was certainly willing to reap all the benefits of your hospitality. Especially after all that he’d been through. But in due time, you would tire of him in favor of a new plaything. So instead of making any bold moves, he took it upon himself to gather information and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

“I ought to melt you right now!” Topaz shrieked.

“But who will fix it when it breaks?” you pouted. You looked at her with dangerously innocent eyes and batted your eyelashes. Then, in an instant, your face changed to complete indifference. 

“It’s not a threat if you’re too stupid to use your weapon properly.”

Topaz stamped her foot and leaned forward. You mirrored her movements with an overly dramatic flair. Seeing her face get redder by the moment, the corner of your lip upturned into the slightest grin as you stared her down.

Loki didn’t notice that his mouth was doing the same.

The Grandmaster stepped in between you and Topaz. Facing you, he placed his hands on your shoulders.

“Now princess, don’t you have better ways to occupy your time?”

“But tormenting her is so—”

“Fun, I know. But it looks to me like you have other fun things waiting for you?”

He glanced at Loki who was by the door holding your laser cannon. You sighed and drew your arms around your father in a hug. 

“Yes, chaos is afoot,” you whispered into his shoulder.

“Good girl.”

As the Grandmaster stroked your hair, Loki narrowed his eyes to better examine you. He noted this expression; having never seen it before. The way your lips were slightly parted, eyelids softly closed, and the relaxed state of every muscle of your face. It haunted him.

He glanced up at the Grandmaster to see him staring at the floor. The glazed look in his eyes was unsettling. But then again, who was Loki to be the judge of fatherly love.

After pulling from your father’s embrace, you turned to beamed at Loki. The remnants of your familial joy still shone in your eyes. Loki tilted his head ever so slightly, trying to calculate if he enjoyed you looking at him that way.

Perhaps. 

You sauntered over to him with an extra swish of your hips and snatched the cannon from his grasp. 

“What do you say you and I go make a dazzling mess of things?” you said with an alluring raise of your eyebrows.

Loki drew his arms behind his back and nodded. As you walked away, completely uninhibited by the weight of the cannon, he noticed the wide grin that stretched across his face. He briskly shook his head as if to erase the evidence like an Etch A Sketch.

Chaos was afoot, indeed.

Taking the elevator to the garage, you bounced on the balls of your feet and tapped your fingers along the side of your weapon. Completely oblivious to Loki’s gaze on you, he decided to address the unspoken.

“I apologize for prying earlier.”

“What?” You turned your head to look at him.

“For questioning you. About your past.”

You broke eye contact in favor of watching the doors that would open at any moment. Loki furrowed his brow, carefully filing this moment under the times that you wouldn’t match his gaze.

“Oh yeah, no big deal.”

Finally, the doors opened.

“Yes! You can meet my baby,” you praised the elevator for its divine timing.

Still cradling the laser cannon, you leaped out of the elevator and bounded through the garage. Loki followed after you and whispered under his breath.

“Baby?”

But his question was quickly answered when you stopped in front of a sleek ship. The body was a smooth matte black with shining golden accents that gilded the sides. The windshield was sparkling clean and Loki couldn’t see a single paint chip or dent.

You pressed your thumb on a scanner on the side of the ship. It yielded to swing the door open vertically like the wing of a dragon granting you access to its innards. You tossed the cannon into a small compartment in the back.

Inspecting the front seats, Loki couldn’t help but notice how small the space was. It looked barely big enough to fit two people. Let alone you and someone of his size. 

Oh Gods, there was no way that he and Thor would ever be able to cram into this thing.

No. Thor is dead.

You grabbed the side of the doorway for leverage and swung yourself into the pilot’s seat. Rolling your eyes at Loki’s gawking face, you gestured for him to get his ass inside.

His eyes finally flickered to you and he entered the ship with a single stride of his long legs. Ducking as he went, Loki passed your seat to access the passenger side. You pressed a button on the top control panel and the door slowly shut to safely seal away the two of you.

Loki’s eyes glanced over the different controls. He saw a bright green button towards the center and raised his hand to get a better look. Watching him from the corner of your eye, you swatted his hand away from your controls. He quickly retreated as you narrowed your eyes at him.

“Driver picks the music.”

Then you slowly pressed the tempting green button and upbeat rock started blaring through your speakers. You punched another button on the top control panel and the garage door opened so you could speed off through the air.

By the time that you landed on the outskirts of the city, Loki was toppled over on his side. About halfway through your flight, he gave up on trying to say upright thanks to your erratic flying habits. He tried to comment, but you only snickered in response.

While you flew like a madwoman, Loki appreciated how you skillfully maneuvered the ship like an extension of your own body. To his great surprise, you and the ship arrived without a single scratch. Although he couldn’t say the same for the budding welt on the back of his head.

You opened the door and relieved the laser cannon of its boring seat in the back. You also grabbed a few cans of paint, a detonator, and some explosives. After Loki fumbled his way out of your ship, you closed the door and pressed your index finger to the scanner. Now in stealth mode, the ship camouflaged itself as an uninteresting pile of trash. 

You took a few steps to stand on top of the nearest hill of garbage. Loki followed you with cautious steps as he glared at the ground beneath his feet. If one could even be so generous as to call it ground.

Setting down the spoils from your backseat, you outstretched your arms and took in a deep breath. Foreign objects rained from the sky as the various wormholes emitted their gentle glow from above.

“Majestic isn’t it?” you said looking off in the distance.

“It’s just as disgusting as I remembered.”

You pinched his cheek and giggled. “You are so spoiled. I need to get you out more.”

Loki rolled his eyes, edging on the most dramatic way that he could express the gesture.

“What do you even do out here?”

“Well, I had to find some way to entertain myself. Father was always busy with his affairs. Punishments, the Contest, and the whatnot. So I’d come out here to enjoy a bit of mayhem.

“At first, it started with scavenging for odds and ends. Broke things apart to learn how they worked. But then I started using the pieces that I found to build new things. And here we are.”

You gestured to the laser cannon. Then you turned to face him with your palms pressed together and mischief in your eyes.

“But my favorite thing to do is terrorize the scrappers.”

You started walking around to gather a few additional supplies. Picking up a nearby plastic bin, you examined its size and deemed it suitable. You poured a can of bright green paint into it; considering you had plenty more of the color back home. Then after sorting through varying bottles of liquids and sludge, you added those to the contents of the bin to create a foul concoction. 

You popped the lid onto it and secured everything in place. Your eyes scanned your surroundings for your next embellishment. Spotting something bright red, you skipped through the garbage to pull the fabric from the rubble.

Returning to Loki and your revolting mixture, you quickly configured a small explosive to the bottom of the bin. You wrapped the fabric around it and topped it with a nice bow. Then you cleared out the surrounding area so it sat in the middle of a tempting, clean circle. 

When you reached out to grab Loki’s hand, he quickly withdrew his.

“I am not touching you after you just did that.”

You rolled your eyes then picked up your belongings and gestured for him to follow you. Crouching behind a large pile of garbage, detonator in hand, you stared at your trap.

“I should get you some gloves,” you whispered.

“You owe me much more than that for enduring this.”

“Oh stop! It’ll be worth it. The waiting is the worst part. But it’s always worth it in the end.”

“May I help expedite your entertainment?”

“What? No, don’t touch my work. You’ll mess it up.”

“I don’t need to touch it. I can assure you that you’ll be pleased with my additions.”

You turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He looked at you with a deliciously troublesome grin. He needed to start expanding his resources. Your trust was an easy place to start.

“Darling, I may not be from around these parts. But across the rest of the known universe, I am the God of Mischief. I have been quite reserved letting you rule your queendom of chaos. But I assure you that your reign of terror will only flourish with a proper king by your side.”

You leaned back and pursed your lips. Glancing him up and down, you finally said, “Okay, pretty eyes. Show me what you’ve got.”

Loki snickered then whipped his head back to look at your trap. He manipulated his seiðr with a flourish of his hands and an emerald glow. 

Before your very eyes, your paint bomb disappeared and was replaced with an illusion of Loki. You snapped your head to look at him and make sure that he was still crouching beside you. Enjoying your reaction, Loki grinned smugly without looking away from his work.

“Help! Help!” his illusion called out. It started stumbling in small circles, eyes darting all around.

“Oh my,” it continued. “I seemed to have gotten myself in quite a bind. Is anyone out there? Where am I!”

Then, as if on cue, two large ships started circling around Loki’s illusion. They landed with a graceless thud. The illusion rapidly looked back and forth between the two ships. When the doors opened, it didn’t take long for the scrappers to surround him.

“Oh thank Valhalla. Do you know where I am?” 

The leader of the group stepped forward.

“Are you a fighter or are you food?”

“I’m lost,” Loki’s illusion pleaded.

“It is food! On your knees.”

“No, no, please. I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m just trying to find my way!”

But the scrappers took no interest in the begging of their prey. They closed in as Loki’s illusion held up his hands in a dull attempt to thwart their advances. 

Your heart started racing and your breathing got shallow. Loki glanced over to appreciate the effect of his work on you. You needed them to inch just a bit closer.

Closer. Closer. Closer.

BOOM.

You slammed your thumb on your detonator and Loki’s illusion disappeared. Your bomb exploded to drench the scrappers in paint and the reeking juices of filth and garbage. The scrappers started moaning and grumbling as you shrieked in laughter.

Loki started laughing with you. For the first time since he landed in Sakaar, he truly enjoyed himself outside the confines of your bedroom.

The lead scrapper growled and took a few steps towards you. 

“You again!” he shouted. But he quickly regretted opening his mouth as he spat out your foul mixture of paint.

“You always fall for it. Every time,” you barely spoke out through your laughter.

“You will pay for this!” he pointed a menacing finger at you.

You raised your laser cannon and he took a step backward.

“Remember how that went last time? Besides, mess with me and I can ensure that you don’t get paid for a year.”

The scrapper raised his hands in surrender and turned to gather his crew. They shoved each other as they argued over who got to get back on the ship; being all too familiar with how their stench would linger for over a month. The ones who were mostly covered in paint got to make it onboard while the others had to wait for them to return with fresh shawls.

You turned to beam at Loki. A glow unlike any that he’s seen from you radiated from your face.

“Looks like you’re more useful than I initially gave you credit for.”

He took a step towards you to wrap his arms around your waist.

“Darling, the mischief has, indeed, just begun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't help myself with the SPN reference :)


	4. Dead Men Don't Laugh

The next three days were absolute terror for anyone within the palace walls. Topaz refused to drink anything after every beverage that touched her lips either exploded, soured, or slithered away. People would constantly run into each other as seemingly sturdy walls, doors, and windows suddenly disappeared or reconfigured themselves.

Loki nearly died on multiple counts. Clutching his chest and heavily panting, he collapsed to the floor in the center of the room. 

“This is it! This is the end!” he gasped. “Oh, if only there was more time!”

When a few curious bystanders came closer to observe the show, you shot them with microscopic darts. The impact made your victims smack their skin to swat away the offending insect. But little did they know that the darts contained the sting of a tiny obedience disk. 

Custom made by you for this very occasion.

When Loki’s audience started debating if they should leave him or sell him for parts, you clicked your buzzer. With a cackle, you watched them fall to the floor as your partner in crime leaped to his feet with a hopelessly irreplaceable grin. 

Depending on his mood, he’d swipe a few units from them. Not that you needed the cash. His thievery only made your heart flutter as you yanked him into a shameless kiss. You were intoxicated by his ability to match you mischief to mischief, chaos to chaos.

Yet, it didn’t take long for the Sakaarians to catch onto your hijinks. When people started scattering the moment you and Loki entered the room, you knew that it was time to escalate. Sitting at the bar one evening, you thoughtlessly traced your fingers on the rim of your glass.

“I think it’s time for you to die,” you murmured.

“I was beginning to conclude the same thing.”

He took a sip from his own glass and eyed you over the rim. 

“We have to make it convincing. _Really_ convincing. I better be devastated. Completely wrecked.”

Loki leaned in to wrap his hand around your neck and draw you closer. You could feel words as hot confessions upon your lips.

“Oh darling, I can’t wait to break your heart.”

You giggled and quickly downed the rest of your drink. You raised your arm to get the bartender’s attention.

“Barkeep! Another—”

THUD.

Loki was on the floor.

You whipped around to look at him. A few nearby heads turned around to inspect the loud intrusion to their conversations. He grabbed his throat with one hand and reached for you with the other.

“C’mon. We’re not doing this now. Cut it out.”

Loki grumbled unintelligible noises as he struggled to breathe. You put your hands on your hips and leaned over him. By now, people were staring.

“Oh stop, you’re just being dramatic, Trickster.”

He started slapping the marble floor with his free hand. His face turned an unappetizing shade of purple and you rolled your eyes. He opened his mouth and wordlessly pointed his finger at the empty glass on the bar.

Now, you had a crowd.

“Your drink,” your eyes flickered from him to the bartender, “something was really wrong with it?”

Scrunching his face on one side, tongue slighting sticking out, and darkening in color by the second, he gave you the tiniest nod. Then collapsed his head to the floor with a gasp and abruptly stopped breathing, stopped moving entirely.

You threw yourself to your knees by his side and grabbed his shoulders. You sloppily slapped him on the side of the face a few times and shook his body, begging him to snap out of it.

“Loki. L-Loki!” 

You brought your ear to his chest and paused. Then put your hand in front of his mouth to feel for any signs of breathing. An inquisitive bystander stepped forward for closer inspection. But you lunged at him and grabbed him by the throat.

“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM,” you spat.

You tossed him back into the sea of observers. Your chest heaved with heavy breaths as your nostrils flared. Gritting your teeth, you spun around and soared over the bar. The bartender threw her hands up and furiously shook her head. Her eyes widened as hot tears started streaming down your face.

You stalked her along the length of the bar. Dagger extended and breaking glasses along the way, your gaze didn’t waver from her trembles. Out of room, the bartender met her inevitable fate when her back hit the cool tile. You jabbed your blade to her throat and growled.

“What did you do to him?”

“I-I-I…nothing! I didn’t do anything! I swear!”

“Does THAT look like nothing to you?” 

By now, the bartender couldn’t verbalize anything but a few whimpers. You reluctantly leaned back. She breathed out a squeak when your body was no longer looming in front of her.

“I’ll deal with you later,” you growled. Then you turned around to collect the body of your fallen lover. You yanked a tablecloth off a nearby table and shoved him onto it, rolling him over so he was still face up. Bunching the ends of the cloth, you turned your head high as you dragged him away from prying eyes. 

Your jaw ticked anytime you heard whispers or noticed people staring. You could have sworn you heard a snicker from Loki. But you knew better since dead men can’t laugh.

Back in your room, you slammed your door shut and tossed the sheet from your hand. You threw yourself onto your bed and cackled, fisting the sheets as your body writhed with glee. 

After years of sleepless nights, you made your room soundproof at the desperate request of your father. It was paying off once again. 

Loki jumped to his feet and returned to his normal coloring. He pounced on the bed so he was in his rightful place on top of you.

“Well done, my queen. You look positively wrecked,” he rumbled, adorning your neck in generous kisses and nips.

He drew out a gentle rhythm of giggles and gasped from your lips. You clawed his back to draw him closer. Wordlessly asking him to continue his ritualized love for your body.

“We aren’t done yet,” you whispered.

“Certainly not.”

“We have to make them worship us and our trickery.”

“Indeed.”

“And they won’t even know that they’re doing it.”

“But of course. The simpletons.”

You propped your leg up on his hip and flipped him over. Now looming over him, your hair fell to the side of his face; enclosing the two of you in a realm all to your own. You teasingly nipped his earlobe. Then decorated his jawline with grateful kisses.

“Tonight, I’m making you mine,” you murmured before sinking your teeth into his shoulder. You sucked his skin and relished the feeling of his flesh upon your lips. You licked a stripe along your work. His skin turned a brilliant shade of deep sapphire. Loki moaned as your hands roamed across the canvas of his body.

“If that trick didn’t kill you, then I certainly will,” you gasped before devouring the rest of him.

No better way to honor the dead.

The next morning, you adorned yourself in shimmering black robes. Your body glistened in the light with your every movement. You garnished your hair with veils of various textures and materials; securing them in your hair with long golden pins.

You painted two streaks of ash down the side of your face. Then smudged one perpendicular to those across the other cheek. You placed your hands across your neck and clawed down your skin as you gently leaned your head back. 

Seeing him from the reflection of your mirror, Loki propped himself in the doorway of your bathroom. Crossing his arms, he observed you with curious eyes that burned with intensity.

“I’ve never seen someone mourn me so beautifully.”

You stood up from your vanity to walk past him. Moving your veil to the side with the back of your hand, you pressed your lips just behind his ear in a chaste kiss.

“Never had someone so beautiful to mourn.”

Loki sat at the end of your bed and you dutifully wrote a degree at your desk. The scratching of your devoted scribbles filled the room. You expected everyone to mourn with you; to echo the cataclysmic pain of your grief. Signing the document with a dramatic flourish, you turned to face the dead.

“Obviously, you can’t be seen today. Are you okay keeping to yourself?”

In his brief time in your queendom, Loki was always by your side. He practically never left your sight. In fact, none of your previous lovers received the freedom that you just granted him. All in the name of your brilliant mischief, of course.

“I can certainly stay hidden and entertain myself.”

“Good. Just don’t have too much fun without me.”

“Never.”

You abandoned your papers in favor of straddling him, perching your arms on his shoulders. He placed his hand on the side of your face to draw you into a kiss. 

But this time, he kissed you slowly and generously. When his tongue entered your mouth, it lingered in familiar spots for a bit longer than normal. As if he was relearning the feeling of your touch.

You broke away with a gasp and leaped up from his lap. Your hand flew up to your mouth; delicately pressing the pads of your fingers to your lips. He furrowed his brow and looked at you with a foreign longing in his eyes.

“I-I-I was just thinking about how ridiculous you looked yesterday,” you brusquely waved your hand in the air, “Broke my concentration.”

You spun around to walk out the door and fidgeted with your veil as you turned the handle. You glanced back at him before escaping the tender moment.

“I’ll check back in on you later.”

He nodded and you left. His breath hitched at the sight of you walking away. 

Witnessing the moon set before his very eyes.


	5. His Inevitable Fate

“Is he really dead?” the Grandmaster deadpanned.

“Of course,” you defended. You stood in the throne room to inform him and Topaz of the dearly departed.

“Oh thank god.” Your father rolled his eyes. “I was going to have to step in with all the trouble you two were causing here.”

Topaz snickered. You shot her a deathly glare through the sheer barrier of your veil.

“Well,  _ father _ , you’re relieved of your burden. I won’t be any trouble for the next few days. I must mourn.”

“Mourn? Is that what this getup is?”

“Of course it is!”

“Okay, okay!” He raised his hands defensively. “I didn’t know what you were doing. You’ve never kept one of your little friends for this long. How was I supposed to know?”

You clenched your jaw as your nostrils flared. Holding your tongue, you outstretched your arm to hand him your slip of paper.

“Here. I ask that the people mourn with me.”

He took the paper from you. His eyes bugged out as he read it over. 

“Are you serious right now?”

“Yes!” You put your hand over your heart and sniffled. “I’m  _ grieving. _ ”

Your lip quivered as tears welled in your eyes, dangerously close to cascading down your painted cheeks.

“I must mourn for a few days. Please. I won’t be a bother to anyone. Including  _ Topaz.  _ But you have to let me do it properly,” you bargained, gesturing to your list of requests.

At the mention of her name, Topaz twitched. You narrowed your eyes at her as she held her breath. But the Grandmaster just shrugged.

“Okay, okay. Whatever you want, princess.” He tossed the paper to the side. “You really cared about this fellow?”

“Yes, I did. And he cared for me.”

“Okay, consider it done.”

You strode out of the room, leaving a trail of whimpers and sniffles behind you. Eyes still misty, you leaned your arms on a nearby windowsill to look outside. The city continued to bustle and buzz as always. It unsettled you. 

But before you could ask too many questions of the twist in your stomach, the hologram of the Grandmaster projected over the land. His hologram self furrowed his brow and tilted his head. 

“People of Sakaar! My dear daughter’s, er, beloved companion has, uh, met his inevitable fate. To honor his death and the great, um, service he has done for her, I mean us, we shall mourn...with her.”

Then he clapped his hands to reinvigorate his enthusiasm. 

“Dress yourselves in green and gold! Rename your firstborn after him for a day, a week, a year! Send gifts of all shapes and sizes! He has stolen my daughter’s heart to the grave. We must grieve with her so that it may mend.”

You watched as the monumental version of your father disappeared with a glorious flash. A smile spread across your face and you chuckled. But the softness of your laughs was met with a steady stream of tears down your cheeks. 

They mixed with your ash and imprisoned sorrows of the past. Your breath hitched at the unwelcome knot in your chest. Brushing them away, you banished the abhorrent liquid to the back of your hand. 

Clearing your throat, you smoothed out your robes and readjusted your veil. Then you scurried to your next stop, abandoning the cursed windowsill for good.

Back in your room, Loki looked out the window and chuckled lowly. Finally getting the respect for his trickery that he deserved now that he had an equal partner by his side. 

After the Grandmaster's message ended, he reclined on the bed. Hands behind his head, he wondered what it would be like to stay with you. You kept him around far longer than he originally anticipated. But that’s not to say that you wouldn’t tire and dispose of him at any moment. 

Your unpredictability was quite predictable.

He needed to take advantage of this time to make a few preparations for his own sake. Hoping, maybe just maybe hoping, that he would never have to use them. 

Loki was cautious to never use his illusions or tricks against you. Your trust was far too valuable and fragile to put at risk. He needed it to buy himself time. 

Yes, buy himself time. Just like now..better get to it then. 

You stomped behind the empty bar and yanked bottles from the shelves, cupboards, and cabinets. The bartender rushed out at the sound of glass breaking and doors slamming. When she saw you, her eyes went wide. She tried to duck into the back room again, but it was too late.

Kneeling in front of a cupboard, you snapped your head over to see her inching towards the door. You slowly rose your feet and balled your fists as you took careful steps towards her. She shrank against the wall and whimpered.

“YOU. You are the one who did this to me,” you snarled.

“P-p-please. I didn’t do anything. I swear.”

“You will be punished for your crimes.”

“It wasn’t meeee.”

You grabbed her by the throat and raised her body off the ground. She kicked and squirmed. But her boots only tapped against the tile wall as desperate prayers for forgiveness.

“I had one good thing in my life and you took him away from me. Why? Were you jealous that you couldn’t have me to yourself?”

You squeezed her throat tighter as a few muffled squeaks escaped her breath. She stared at you with wide eyes, wondering if the smeared ash and shadows along your face would be the last things she would see.

“D-d-don’t kill me.”

You released your grip and she fell back to the ground with an anguished thump. She held her throat as she coughed and gasped for air.

Your face twisted in disgust and you pulled her head up by her hair. She yelped at the sudden pain. You lowered your face so your lips barely grazed her cheek. The only barrier between you was your veil of grief.

“I don’t want to kill you,” you spat. You flung her to the ground to free her of your presence.

Her hands slammed to the floor. “Oh, oh, oh thank you.”

“Don’t mistake my need for you as mercy.”

She nodded and stared at the ground in front of her, refusing to meet your gaze again. 

“Take these bottles and leave them outside of my chambers. If you so think to take a step inside, I will eviscerate you on the spot.”

You slapped an encrypted communication bracelet around her. “Anything that I need, you will bring to me. Anything that I ask, you will do it discreetly with no questions asked. Understood?”

She swallowed and nodded. Then you stormed out of the bar in a dizzying cloud of fury.

You took some time to walk around the city. In a matter of hours, it became a sea of various greens, yellows, and golds. Bars and restaurants had Trickster drink specials. People paraded the streets with dark emerald banners and gilded flags, grateful for any reason to celebrate. 

As you floated through the streets like a ghost, they bowed and blew kisses your way. You waved and nodded in return. Your heart thumped to the rhythm of their drums and chants.

For a brief moment, your eyes fluttered closed. Perhaps this is what it felt like to be loved.

Just perhaps.

Exhausted by the spell of your feigned grief, you returned to the palace to retire and check on Loki. Your eyes lit up seeing the piles of gifts, trinkets, and letters strew across the hall leading to your chambers. Everyone requesting your wishes to strictly remain outside.

You threw the door open, ready to reunite with your fallen lover. But your eyes went wide when you saw that the room was empty.

“Where are you, pretty eyes?” you echoed throughout your chambers. You started undoing the clasps and pins to let down your hair and release your veil. “I thought you’d love the new look that I gave the city.”

But your heart stopped when the only response was silence.

Deafening, aching silence.

“L-Loki?” You swallowed. 

You rushed to the bathroom, to your seating area, under the bed. You poked a few of the lizards that periodically visited your room. You threw open your drawers to look for something of his. But quickly realized that he...didn’t have anything. 

In all his time with you, Loki didn’t have any physical belongings. None of your former lovers did. They could disappear in an instant and no one would have known they were there. No one...except for you.

You threw your hands into your hair and paced the room. Sure, you wondered what it would be like for him to stay with you. You kept him around far longer than you originally anticipated. But that wasn’t to say that he would tire and dispose of you at any moment.

His unpredictability was quite predictable.

You shook your head, not wanting to believe that he actually left. Perhaps he was just exploring and enjoying the city. Just like you did. Yes, that must be where he slithered off to, right?

But then you remembered.

You punched the buttons on your watch to check his bank statements. The idiot thought he could open accounts without you knowing.

But your stomach dropped when you saw.

Empty. Zero. Drained.

Loki, his stolen money, his trickery.

Nowhere to be found.


	6. Please Stab Me

Sitting at a grimy table, Loki spat out his lunch and threw his hands in the air.

“This is disgusting!”

He buried his face in his hands. He was a fool to expect that a planet made of garbage had anything more to offer him.

Not that he was hungry anymore.

“Anything else that I can get you, pretty eyes?”

He snapped his head up from his hands to look at the waitress.

“Pretty whaaa?”

“Anything I can get you?”

“No.” He vigorously shook his head. “This is revolting. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Oh, uh. I can ask them to—”

“Don’t bother. Never name anything after me again. It’s utterly insulting.”

He transferred her the necessary units and marched out of the restaurant; leaving a confused waitress in his wake.

Standing in the street, Loki tilted his head to look upwards. The ships whirred through the air and rubble continued to rain from the sky. Before leaving your room, he changed his appearance to that of an expendable passerby.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t change his eyes. He just...couldn’t.

He successfully opened an account under the name Anthony Stark. Say what he will about the metal-clad coxcomb, at least he knew how to maintain a healthy bank balance. Loki would take all the financial blessings he could get. He couldn’t rely on your generosity forever.

Now armed with cash and confidence, Loki let himself wander the streets of Sakaar. Truthfully, this was the first time that he actually explored your land for curiosity’s sake. No hidden agendas or survivalist needs to interrupt his travels.

He chuckled as parades of inebriated fools traipsed past him. His eyes lit up at the sights of his colors drowning the city. When you drifted through his mind he sighed, grinning at how much you must enjoy the people bending to your will.

He certainly enjoyed the fruits of your mutual trickery.

But it didn’t take long for Loki to reach his tolerance for the rest of this garbage heap. He quickly decided to retreat back to the palace. While it was no Asgard, it was the most lavish place on this trash pile of a planet. So naturally, it started to feel a bit like home.

He shifted into a lizard and scuttled throughout the halls. Leaping onto the trail of gifts in your hallway, the claws of his scaled feet echoed pitter-patters against the various boxes, platters, and offerings.

With an exuberant leap, he lunged in a tiny hole in the wall. He wriggled his way through to pop right into your bedroom. But when he arrived, he was startled by the scene before him.

You were sitting on the edge of your bed with your legs to your chest. Your face was buried between your knees as you cried. Your shoulders softly shook to the rhythm of your aching heart.

He quickly transformed back into his normal self. But made the transition so quiet that you didn’t even notice.

“My my, you certainly are committed to the part,” he admired.

You sprang from the bed and launched yourself at your intruder. You knocked him onto the ground so you were straddling his hips. Instinctively pressing a dagger to his throat, you snarled. But your body tensed when you saw who it was.

“Loki? What are you doing here?”

“I’m...back?” He shrugged from the floor.

“But you left.”

“Yes, I said I could entertain myself.”

You lifted your leg to free him from under you. He withdrew his own blade that was pressing on your abdomen. You both rose to your feet and brushed off your clothes.

He scratched the back of his head and furrowed his brow. In turn, you narrowed your eyes and tried to gather your senses.

“You’re back?” you tried to clarify.

“Yes.”

“You came...back?”

Loki pursed his lips and nodded, giving you a wide eyed stare. You placed your hand on the back of your neck and took a few deep breaths. Staring at the floor, you wrinkled your brow as it dawned on you.

“HA!”

You howled in laughter.

Wrapping your arms around your chest, you threw your head back then buckled right over. You gasped out an erratic beat of cackles, snorts, and giggles. Your lower back started to ache from the pressure of your own body.

Oh how you laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Loki tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. Then started chuckling himself. 

“We’ve made quite a glorious mess haven’t we?” he snickered.

You scrunched your face and nodded, still under control of your laughter. 

“We—

_ Gasp. _

“Fooled—

_ Gasp. _

“All of them.”

You barely squeaked it out.

He stared at you as you slowly regained control of your body. You wiped a few tears from the edges of your eyes. They were dangerously close to falling to your face.

“So well that I thought you left,” you whispered.

You shook your head and took a deep breath.

“I thought you left. For good. I thought you left.”

But your breathing started to increase in pace again. Your lips trembled and you started shaking. Your heart hammered against the walls of your chest between breaths.

“I thought you—”

_ Gasp. _

“Left me.”

Without your consent, your face twisted and tears started streaming down your face. Your chest was completely overcome by inconsistent, desperate breaths and physical assaults by your heart. 

You squinted hard in a feeble attempt to stop the tears. But they continued to gush through like a river starved of attention. When you opened your eyes again, you looked back at Loki.

“What the fuck? Are you smiling? You sick, fucking weirdo,” you gasped between sobs. “You do get off on tragedy!” Then you giggled. Then cried. Then giggled some more.

“No—

_ Chuckle chuckle. _

“I don’t—

_ Chuckle chuckle. _

“Know why—

_ Chuckle chuckle. _

“I can’t stop it.”

Loki grinned ear to ear and tittered without control, composure, or conscious decision. He chuckled, gasped, and snickered as his cheeks became sore from smiling so much. He extended his hand out to you. But neither of you could touch each other, already overly physically stimulated.

“I can’t...stop either. What the fuck is happening?” you gasped.

You wailed in agony and convulsed by the demand of your body. Then you alternated between sobs and giggles, completely at the mercy of your broken psyche. You couldn’t tell if your tears were from crying or laughing any more. But they sprang free from your eyes without care.

“P-p-please stab me,” you shrieked as you sobbed. “This is awful!”

Loki clutched his abdomen, still unable to gain any authority over his physical senses.

“Me—

_ Titter. Titter. Titter. _

“First—”

_ Titter. Titter. Titter. _

You gasped out a silent plea for relief. In a desperate attempt for any solace, you threw yourself to the floor. You slapped the cool marble, begging for respite from the overwhelm of your emotions.

Finally, with the support of the ground, your breathing gradually slowed. It evened just enough for you to regain a thread of composure. You yanked that thread like a lifeline and eventually faded back to your senses.

Taking your lead, Loki lied down next to you. You could hear his breathing deepen and slow in pace. The beats of his nervous laughter quieted to gentle whispers of his breath.

The two of you lay next to each other on the floor, chests still heaving and staring at the ceiling. You wordlessly basked in the fading energy of the room as your overwhelm subsided to gentle waves. Once again, you thanked your past self for soundproofing your room. 

_ Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. _

After an immeasurable number of heartbeats, you broke the silence; still staring upwards. 

“Is this love? Because if so, you can have it back.”

Loki turned his head to look at you. His eyes glimmered with a raw warmth that you’d never seen from him before.

“Darling, I can’t even begin to understand what this is.”

You both returned your eyes to staring at the ceiling. He reached out to capture your hand in his. You squeezed back in grateful acceptance.

“You left, but you came back.”

“Indeed.”

“What about your money?”

“I wasn’t foolish enough to think that I could open accounts without you accessing them. I want some semblance of independence. I can’t solely rely on you for my every need.”

“And even then, you still came back?”

“Of course. This is home—”

He tried to cut off the sentence. But the damage was already done. 

“I mean, as long as you’ll have me…” 

You rolled over on your side so you could look at him. Stroking the side of his face, you asked him to turn his head so he could meet your gaze, which he did so willingly.

“Yes, you are home,” you confirmed.

Loki smiled at you. Yes, through the gentle upturn of his lips. But even more so with the joyous spark in his eyes.

Perhaps one day you would get to love Loki.

If you should ever be so fortunate.


	7. Deadly Spring

On Loki’s fourteenth day on Sakaar, you woke up wrapped in the cool cocoon of his body. The light of the morning danced across your eyelids to welcome you to the fresh day. 

You leaned your head into his neck as you stretched your legs. In return, he tightened his hold on you with a gentle squeeze. A soft rumble rippled from his chest and into your back.

He planted a chaste kiss in your hair, curious what might spring forth from his affection. Eyes still closed, you twisted your torso to place a hand on his face and pull him into an even deeper kiss. You let out a soft sigh as you broke away and returned your back to his chest.

After a few silent breaths, your eyelids fluttered open. You squinted your eyes when you notice something peculiar sitting on your nightstand. You plucked it from its resting place. Then rolled onto your back so you could get a closer look. 

You ran your fingers along the vibrant green stem. You flicked the end of the firm, wide leaves and furrowed your brow. When your curious fingers reached the dangling white ornament in the center, you paused. You bit your lip and glanced at Loki. 

“Go ahead,” he coaxed.

You nodded before tracing your fingers along the petals of the drooping white bell. Trying to memorize the softness to your skin, you briskly rubbed your thumb and index fingers together.

“What is it?” you asked, looking back at Loki.

“A flower.”

“I’ve never seen a real one.”

You tentatively brought the plant to your nose, then turned to Loki for your next cue. Upon his nod, you took a sharp inhale. You wrinkled your nose and rubbed the stem between your fingers to twirl it around.

“It smells...fresh. Almost cool?” you observed.

“It’s called a snowdrop. When my mother arrived on Asgard—”

“Mother?”

“Yes, we were close. She was tormented by the lack of fresh vegetation on Asgard compared to her home. After her first winter, she mourned the loss of her homeland and used her magic to turn her tears into these delicacies. They’re beautiful and poisonous. Much like someone else I know.”

He breathed a few gentle kisses along your neck. Then murmured into your skin.

“My deadly spring.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his words fell onto your neck. You narrowed your eyes at the foreign vegetation.

“What do I do with it?”

“Nothing. I’ve enchanted it so it requires nothing of you. It’s simply here for you to enjoy.”

You brought Loki’s gift to your chest and draped your hands over the stem. You looked at him with soft eyes, lost in the confusing kindness of his offering.

“I figured with everyone bringing you gifts, it was only proper that I also help you mourn.” 

He flashed you a mischievous grin. Then brought his leg across your hip so he was now above you. His forearms rested on either side of your head like soldiers standing guard.

“I am so sorry for your loss,” he whispered.

You took a deep breath and studied his face, unsure of what else he was trying to communicate. Glistening eyes. Relaxed muscles. Lips slightly parted. 

You snapped a mental photo for later examination. Hopefully, you’d get to see more of this exotic expression. It intrigued you.

An intrusive knock on the door saved you from responding. You leaped from the bed and wrapped yourself in a blanket. But not without first placing your snowdrop securely on your nightstand. 

You cracked the door open to see the Grandmaster peering through.

“Scrapper 142 is coming in today. She needs more obedience disks,” he reported.

“I said that I wanted a few days.”

“I’ve entertained your show quite enough. Time to get back to work. Chop, chop.”

He clapped his hands before wandering off. You slammed the door shut with a huff, gritting your teeth and tensing your shoulders. Stomping to your dresser, you dropped the blanket from your body and threw the drawers open.

“You and your  _ father… _ ” Loki’s voice trailed off.

Without looking at him, you continued to riffle through your clothes. You gulped before wrangling your legs into some black leather pants.

“You’re not as close as you try to make it seem.”

You threw on an oil and grease stained tank. Flipping your hair out from underneath the back of your top, you glared at him.

“What’s it to you?” you growled.

“He’s using you.”

You slammed Loki against the wall and imprisoned his chest against your forearm. Your nostrils flared as you panted in frustration. Loki’s eyes went wide and he raised his arms against the wall in surrender.

“Don’t you think I know that!” you spat. “Of course he is. He’s only looking out for himself. Just like everyone else on this godforsaken planet.”

Shaking out your shoulders, you took a step back to release Loki. Glancing at the floor, you let out a sigh. Loki continued to study you, trying to extract as much data from the interaction as he could.

“I still have no idea why he kept me. But when I started making tools...and especially weapons, well, he got nicer and nicer. Being the dutiful daughter was more fun than the unwanted orphan. So I played the part.”

You narrowed your eyes to glare at him. “Just like you do.”

You stomped to the door and threw it open. The air was tense. But you sliced through it with a deep breath. Pausing in front of the threshold, you looked at him one more time. 

“Don’t...don’t leave.” Your eyes darted between him and the snowdrop. “Please.”

“I’m dead. Nowhere else to go.” He shrugged.

You lunged to your nightstand to snatch your gift. Then you gave him a curt nod before slipping through the door.

Safely in your workshop, you collected an assortment of wires, metal disks, and microchips. You turned on your self-made stereo to blast your music. At the request of your father, your workshop was also soundproof. Everywhere you existed was soundproof.

You quickly got to work assembling new obedience disks and programming them to Scrapper 142’s remote. By the second disk, you hit your meditative trance. 

You thought about all the gifts in your hallway and what you might do with them. You entertained a few prank ideas and mentally noted to get some fake blood for later. 

Third disk complete.

Your breath hitched when you thought about the bartender and quickly banished her from your mind. Instead, your daydreaming wandered to Loki. How he came back. How he laughed like some sick weirdo. How you did too.

Fourth disk complete.

You wondered about his past. His tragic backstory. Did he miss his home? His mother? What was it even like to miss those? To have them? Did his father actually love him? You found yourself hoping that was true.

Fifth disk complete.

Maybe he’d show you more flowers. Maybe he could help you plant some on the outskirts of the city. Maybe you could be happy with him. Maybe he wouldn’t leave. 

If Loki stuck around, would he integrate into the fabric of your life? Or would he distract you? You couldn’t risk losing your father’s favor.

ZAP.

“MOTHERFU—”

You shook out your hand. Fumbling to the sink, you ran the fresh burn under some cool water. As you stared at the water soothing your skin, you took no notice of the tears rolling down your cheeks. You turned off the faucet and dried off your hand with a nearby rag.

You stared at the results of your work. Five obedience disks. All programmed for Scrapper 142. 

Your father’s favorite.

You wrinkled your nose as you tossed the rag to the side. Pulling a drawstring bag from a shelf, you got ready to package them up. But you hesitated before shoving the disks away.

You sharply sucked in a breath and hung your head. Then you dropped the bag, swiveled to grab a metal pipe from the table behind you, and proceeded to smash one of the disks to pieces. Banishing it to oblivion.

First disk destroyed.

Tears streaming down your face, teeth gritting in a silent cry, and body pulsating to your music, you beat the table in front of you to punish it for existing. How dare it trap you here. How dare it take up so much space. How dare it. How dare it. How dare it.

Second disk destroyed.

Table beaten badly too.

Your arms froze with the pipe still in the air. The weight of it mercilessly bore down on your aching shoulders. You loosened your fingers just enough so the pipe could fall to the floor. The clank of metal on cement was barely audible over your blaring music.

You slammed your palms to the table in front of you and sobbed. The broken table shook under the vibrations of your body and broken heart. As your tears fell, sparks and smoke littered the air from the protruding wires and microchips.

Your body released a hiccup and you threw your hand to your mouth at the lurch of your chest. Taking a few deep breaths, you reached to your back pocket to pluck the snowdrop from its hiding place. You twirled it in your hands, inspecting it again through puffy eyes.

Then, you brought the sweet spring to your lips and placed a tender kiss on the white petals. You carefully slid the stem back into your pocket. Afterwhich, you threw the three salvageable obedience disks in the bag and strut out of the workshop with your head down.

Loki strolled through your chambers, taking in the environment of his home with newfound curiosity. He traced the edges of the shelves in your closet. While the rest of your chambers were spotless, your closet was an utter disaster. It was filled with a sloppy assortment of clothes, weapons, paint, electronics, and a few self made, lizard-sized beds tucked in the corners.

His hand stopped when he came across an empty column of shelves. He furrowed his brow and glanced them up and down. The open space contrasted with the otherwise overwhelming mess. Upon closer inspection, he examined the shelf that perfectly met his eye level. In the front corner, crudely carved with a knife was a single word.

“Loki.”


	8. Electrifying the Beast

Standing in front of her bathroom mirror, Topaz slashed her face with cool water. She brusquely slapped her cheek before staring back at her reflection.

“You are a loyal attendant to the Grandmaster,” she affirmed. “They’re both going to be there. You can do this. You will reap your reward one day.”

When Topaz heard that Scrapper 142 was coming, her stomach twisted in knots. Even worse, the Grandmaster also asked you to come too. She would be in the presence of her two least favorite women on the planet.

_ Yes, she could do this.  _

She threw her hands to either side of the sink and looked down. Then she lifted her head to look back in the mirror. But upon eye contact, she jerked to the side with a shriek.

“Y-y-you’re supposed to be dead!” 

She pointed a trembling finger at the ghastly figure in the mirror.

“Oh, but I am,” Loki murmured lowly. 

His eyes were sunken and ringed with aubergine circles. The rest of his skin was void of all color and replaced with a ghoulish grey. Knots in his raven hair made the ends stick out to and fro. But what made Topaz’s hands clammy was the burning intensity in his eyes.

Hands behind his back, Loki took a menacing step forward. Topaz swiveled to face the ghost and grabbed the counter for dear life. Her eyes blew wide open and she felt chills crawl up her spine. Loki just wrinkled his nose and smirked.

“I returned from the grave just for you,” he threatened. 

“No, no, please. It’s not my time.” Topaz furiously shook her head.

“You certainly aren’t the one to decide that.”

“Please, I will do anything. I beg of you!”

A bone-chilling grin spread across Loki’s lips. “I love it when they beg.”

“I will do anything!” She clasped her hands together and prayed to the god.

“Very well, what do you have to offer me?”

Topaz looked down at the floor. Furrowing her brow, she shook her head.

“I-I-I don’t know,” she murmured.

“That’s no way to make a deal with the devil.” He tilted his head and marched forward.

But she threw her hands in the air to stop him. “No, wait!”

Crossing his arms, Loki raised his eyebrows and leaned his head back. He could see why you loved to torment this woman so much. It was great fun even without you there.

“I can give you units, uh, weapons, um...” Topaz counted off the possibilities on her fingers. Then she blurted, “I can give you access codes to the Grandmaster’s ships!”

_ Intriguing.  _

Even though you probably had all of these yourself, it never hurt for him to stockpile his own arsenal of resources. 

“Do tell me how your primitive mind expects  _ any  _ of those to be useful to a dead man?”

Topaz gulped and rapidly looked around the room. Loki rolled his eyes and let out a pained sigh. Now he understood why none of your pranks required anything of this woman’s intellect.

“Fine. I’ll spare you in exchange for information.”

She nodded her head so much he thought it might fall off.

“Where did the Grandmaster find his daughter?”

“He didn’t. A scrapper brought her in.”

Loki raised an eyebrow to ask her to continue. 

“Scrapper 142 brought her to him. Demanded that the Grandmaster take care of her like his own.”

“Did the scrapper say why?” Loki narrowed his eyes.

Topaz shook her head. “No. But when he refused, she said that she would forgo payment for her next three contenders. So he agreed and took her in.”

“Hmph.”

If an unfortunate incident were to befall your father, perhaps the two of you could rule this chaotic land together. Since time worked differently on Sakaar, maybe you could live longer than a blink of his eye. Loki could certainly make this a planet a place for you to enjoy and not just survive on. Would you mourn your father like you mourned him?

“So...I’m spared?” Topaz interrupted his daydreams.

“Yes, you can live your pathetic life another day. Don’t tell another soul about this or I’ll be back” The ghost turned to relieve her of his presence. But before he left, Loki made one final request with a wave of his finger.

“Give me the access codes. I’d love to haunt the Grandmaster’s good times.”

Topaz obediently scribbled the information on a scrap of paper and handed it to Loki. He strode off and vanished through a wall. The illusion having completed its mission.

Back in your room, the real Loki decided that it was time to get more information about the Grandmaster. Starting with his inner circle, he transformed into an inconspicuous passerby, hoping a less threatening look could help him infiltrate easier.

Topaz gasped out a sigh of relief before snatching the Melt Stick. In a blur, she dashed out to meet you, Scrapper 142, and the Grandmaster. 

Grateful indeed to live another day.

Standing behind your father’s throne, you bounced on the balls of your feet. Nudging Scrapper 142’s elbow from in front of you, you reached over to tap the Grandmaster on the shoulder.

“If  _ this one _ is a contender, will you let me see him?” you whispered.

“After you got him so trashed he could barely fight the next day? No. You’re never going near him again. I already told you this.”

“But—”

The Grandmaster held up a single finger to silence you.

“Besides,” he raised his eyebrows, “don’t you have something for me?” 

You handed him the pouch obedience disks. Taking a look inside, he wrinkled his brow and looked back at you.

“This is it?”

“I-I was short on materials.”

Even though you couldn’t see the front of his face, you knew that he just rolled his eyes. He tightened the drawstrings and tossed the measly bag to Scrapper 142. She caught it and gave you a curt nod. But you refused to look at her.

You leaned back to your rightful place behind them and crossed your arms. 

“I hope this one is at least a screamer. I tried to make that entrance as creepy as possible,” you grumbled.

Topaz came running into the room and scurried to her place. Catching her breath, she banged the end of the Melt Stick on the ground for stability.

“Hey! Careful with that!” you whined.

“Necromancing slut,” she muttered.

You twisted your face in a mixture of disgust and confusion. But before you should bite back, a shrill cry echoed through the room. You whipped your head around to take in the source of the offending noise.

Almost as soon as it started, Scrapper 142’s offering abruptly stopped shrieking. It glanced around the room to soak in the new surroundings. That creepy entrance paid off every time. You narrowed your eyes to examine it.

Built, shaggy, and a screamer.

_ Ohhh yes. You father would be very pleased with this one. _

“He’s wonderful,” the Grandmaster turned his head to the scrapper. “It is a he?”

“It is a he,” she replied.

“I love when you come to visit 142. You bring me just the best stuff.” He turned to Topaz. “Whenever we get to talking about Scrapper 142, what do I always say? She is the, it starts with a ‘B’”

“Trash,” Topaz deadpanned.

“Better than me,” you muttered under your breath.

The Grandmaster asked Topaz to draw him closer to the potential contender for further examination. You followed his hovering throne with a light shuffle of your feet.

“Pay this lady,” he instructed Topaz.

“Just wait a damn minute! I’m not for sale,” the beast grumbled. He struggled against your cuffs. But the moment he released his arms from the chair, Scrapper 142 clicked her remote with a smirk. He went down like a dog as the mercy of your obedience disk. 

_ God, he was ugly getting electrocuted. _

Your father turned his head to you and you flinched. Gesturing to the contender in front of you, he chided, “See? This is why you should have brought more. She always brings the best.”

You rolled your eyes and huffed as he turned back around. Gritting your teeth, you thought better than to bite back against anything related to the Contest. You learned that early on.

“Well, you have what you want. May I go now?” you spat.

Entirely focused on the muscles in front of him, your father waved at you nonchalantly. 

“Yeah, yeah,” he droned, completely undisturbed by the echoes of your footsteps as you stomped off.

In the safety of your room, you started to wheeze as your breathing overcame your chest. When you saw that Loki wasn’t there, your stomach started to churn. You immediately darted to the closet. But upon seeing a few new, peculiar items on a single shelf, you let out a heavy sigh.

There was a vase with three new snowdrops resting inside of it. The drooping white flowers made your heart flutter as a smile softly crept across your face. You picked up a large book and flipped through it. You furrowed your brow as beautiful illustrations and children’s stories flew throughout the pages.  You set the Asgardian children’s tales back on the shelf before squinting at the final set of items.

Two lizard-sized beds.

One next to the other.

You let out a soft laugh then exited the closet to throw yourself on your bed.

Maybe this day wasn’t so bad after all.

Maybe it was time for things to change.


	9. Fortunate Indeed

“Oh yes, the Grandmaster’s champion is quite savage. An utter brute. It makes for fine entertainment!” the plump man hiccupped before shoving another bite of food in his face. Crumbs escaped his lumbering lips as he slurped his drink.

It took every ounce of Loki’s focus to not stab the man right then and there. But he inhaled sharply and grit his teeth. Choosing to only slice through the atrocious oaf with his eyes instead of a blade.

“A ‘ile back,” he finally swallowed, “the princess and the champion destroyed my restaurant on one of their infamous bar crawls. But she paid me more than enough units to cover the damage. Even spent the next two months helping me rebuild and upgrading my equipment.”

Loki unconsciously leaned in closer and tilted his head.

“Best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he snickered. But before Loki had to sit through any more time in the insufferable man’s presence, he was lured away by a passing plate of greater interest.

Loki groaned and rubbed his palms on his forehead. This was worse than fake dying. But before he could select another unwilling victim to interrogate, an annoyingly familiar voice pierced through the air. 

“We’re not friends and I don’t give a shit about your games! I’m going back to Asgard!”

Loki snapped his head up at the sound of his brother’s voice. He had to blink a few times to confirm that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Without realizing, his illusion fell away and his physical appearance returned to normal.

As if Fate planned it herself, Thor turned his head and beamed at his brother. 

“Loki! Loki! Over here! Over here!”

_ Oh shit. _

Loki’s eyes went wide and he gulped. Continuing the tradition of familial disappointment, his pace apparently wasn’t satisfying enough for Thor; who scrunched his face and growled.

“Lokiii.”

Loki tried to shush him with a hiss and glowered at him.

“You’re alive.” he whispered.

“Yes, of course I’m alive,” Thor smirked.

“What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean what am I doing here? I’m stuck in this, this stupid  _ chair. _ ”

Knowing the creator of the chair that bound his brother, Loki pursed his lips to suppress a grin.

“Where’s your chair?” Thor wrinkled his nose.

Loki shook his head. “I didn’t get a chair. I got, er, something else.”

“Get me out!”

“I can’t!”

Thor upturned his lip in offense. He was, indeed, truly desperate to get out of that goddamn chair.

“I’ve established a position here that I can’t risk. The Bifrost brought me here weeks ago.”

“Weeks ago?! But I just got here.”

Before Loki could reply, the Grandmaster interjected as a lurking bystander. 

“What are you whispering about?”

Loki and Thor flinched and looked at him like horses in a bilge snipe’s path. Thor let out a strained yelp. But the Grandmaster furrowed his brow at Loki with a frown.

“Wait, I thought you were dead?” 

“It never sticks,” the brothers echoed in unison.

The color from Topaz’s face drained when she saw Loki. She gulped, praying her traitorous ways would never see the light of day.

The Grandmaster shrugged then proceeded to educate Thor on the different ways that Time ran her fingers through Sakaar. He promised Thor his freedom if he managed to defeat his Champion. 

A challenge which Thor willingly took up on.

“Then point me in the direction of whoever’s ass I have to kick!”

The Grandmaster chuckled in amusement. With a wave of his wand, programmed by you of course, he sent Thor along the rest his journey.

“Ahh! Loki! Loki!” Thor protested. He scrunched one side of his face so firmly that Loki thought he might pop out the eyeball right out of the other. 

Loki marched back to your room at a determined pace. Now that Thor was, indeed, alive, everything seemed different, yet exactly the same. 

Of course, Thor would want to return to Asgard and fight Hela like the reckless fool that he could be. As always, he overestimated his own strength, especially against a forgotten sister who could shatter Mjölnir like glass.

The most strategic path for your mutual survival was to overthrow the Grandmaster. If Thor chose to go charging into a losing battle, like he always did, then he made his fate for himself. 

Loki halted at your door with a screech of his heel, not realizing he already arrived at his destination. He entered your chambers to see you lying face-down on your bed.

“Well, he knows I’m alive now,” he muttered.

But instead of being met with a groan of disappointment, Loki was stunned when you leaped from the bed to wrap your arms around his neck. You slithered up his body like a hungry snake and wrapped your legs around his waist, peppering his face and neck with careless kisses along the way. 

His eyes widened as he gripped your legs to hold you up. You yanked his hair to bring his face to yours and stole his breath with a desperate kiss. 

“Let’s leave,” you breathed the frantic prayer onto his lips. “Let’s leave together...and never come back.”

Loki withdrew his face from yours and grimaced. You shook your head furiously.

“He’ll never know. He’ll never care. We can leave together and be rid of this trash pile. Just you and me,” you pleaded.

You leaned forward to kiss him again. But Loki relaxed his hand from under your thighs and you slowly descended back to the floor. You took a step back and glanced him up and down. Shoulders slouched forward, his eyes looked at you with a blade of remorse that pierced through your heart. 

“I can’t,” he murmured.

“What? Why? What’s keeping you here?” Your breath hitched as you whispered, “You don’t want...you don’t want—”

“No,” he commanded with a point of his finger. “It’s not that. It’s just, there are other elements at play.”

You squinted and bit your lip. “Like what?”

“My brother.”

“Brother?”

“He’s been taken by the Grandmaster as a contender.”

Your stomach churned and you sucked in a breath. The screamer was Loki’s brother. They seemed so... _ different. _

“And you  _ like  _ him? This... _ brother _ ?”

Loki wrinkled his brow and pursed his lips. “Yes, of course. He’s my brother.”

You started shaking your head. 

“No, no, Loki. We have to get him out. The Champion will  _ destroy  _ him. He’s merciless. There won’t be anything left of him after.”

“So I’ve heard. I have to talk to him. Where do they send the contenders?”

“In the basement. Below the garage. But you won’t be able to get down there without getting caught.”

“I don’t need to leave this room.”

Loki positioned himself on the edge of your bed. Placing his hands on his knees, he narrowed his eyes in intense focus. You studied him as he worked his magic; entranced by his power.

You weren’t sure what he was saying to his brother. But Loki’s right eye twitched a few times and he wrinkled his nose. You held your breath, unsure if any noise would distract his concentration. Grimacing, Loki broke out of his trance and turned to you. He glanced downwards and shook his head.

“Thor’s determined to fight. Typical.” He rolled his eyes.

“Then we have to be prepared to help him if he needs us.”

Loki’s eyes softened as he studied your face. “Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

Mouth upturned in a gentle grin, Loki wrapped his arms around you. You returned his embrace and traced your fingers along his back in indistinguishable shapes.

“He’s your brother,” you whispered into his neck. “We have to protect the family that you do have.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He kissed you on top of the head. Feeling, at that moment, very fortunate indeed.


	10. My Whole Body is a Weapon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you’ve seen this fight. If you’re like me, you’ve seen this fight multiple times. If you are me, you’ve seen this fight multiple times while writing this chapter. 
> 
> I omitted a few big parts from the movie (1) for brevity’s sake and (2) bc I didn’t want to steal Thor’s thunder (pun intended) by writing a whole new scene bc he’s a powerful mofo too. Thanks for hanging with me so far while I rehash a few scenes from the movie. 
> 
> Reveal coming in the next chapter. Stay tuned.

Hands on your hips, you tapped your foot and glowered at the guard.

“Do we have to do this every time?” You rolled your eyes and wrinkled your nose. “I’m his daughter! Why would I be a threat to him?”

The guard only stared back at you blankly. He was tired of this song and dance with you before every fight. But he dutifully fulfilled his orders as the security checkpoint to the Grandmaster’s private balcony. He turned his gaze to Loki.

“Him too.”

You let out a huff and placed your gun and a blade on the table. Loki placed two daggers next to your weapons. The guard evaluated your offerings. Then looked back and you and raised an eyebrow.

“I swear that’s it! I packed light today.” You threw your hands in the air.

The guard scrutinized you with bored eyes. He outstretched his hand and curled his fingers into his palm two times to call your bluff.

“Fine!” 

You pulled out two mysterious metal cubes, two remotes, and three obedience disks. The guard stared down Loki. But he took no notice since his eyes were transfixed on you. Without breaking eye contact, he withdrew a spear and delicately planted it on the table. Then he laid a peculiar vile of bubbling liquid and another dagger next to it.

You narrowed your eyes at Loki and tightened your jaw. Then you slammed a grenade on the counter. Loki snickered and added a sword. But you replied by yanking out two machine guns and released them on the counter with a graceless thud. You put a hand on your hip and raised an eyebrow at him.

Loki’s eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open. Where in Hel were you keeping those? He knew every inch of your body impeccably well. Considering the state of your dress, this, admittedly, bewildered him. 

With his final offering in hand, he unfurled his fingers to drop three obedience disks and a remote on top of your machine guns.

“Hey! When did you steal those from me?”

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

You pouted your lip. But it was quickly replaced with a satisfied grin. You gestured to the stockpile of weapons. 

“Happy now?”

The guard gave you a curt nod. He placed your weapons in their designated places. But after he turned away, all of Loki’s belongings evaporated in thin air.

“That wasn’t everything?” Loki whispered to you as you strut away from the checkpoint.

“Pretty eyes, my whole body is a damn weapon.” You turned your head to look at him. “But no, of course not.”

He snickered and grabbed your hand. Upon the initial contact, you twitched. But after a breath, you relaxed and intertwined your fingers in his.

“I think we should try to talk to your brother one more time.”

Pursing his lips, Loki nodded. You directed him towards the bar that connected with the fighters’ preparation area. From the hallway, you heard Korg.

“Guys, can you clean up your weapons? Once you finish your fight? Disgusting slobs.”

You snickered and Loki gave you a curious look. 

“I always put fake blood on them at the beginning of the night. Even added some hair this time.”

At the entrance of the bar, you withdrew your hand from Loki’s. He took no offense. But he watched you anxiously fiddled with your hair. Your hands were desperate for a new point of focus. From behind the divider, you could see Thor talking to Scrapper 142.

“No one escapes this place. So you’re going to die anyway,” she lamented before trotting off with her drinks.

Thor lurched at her, not that she could see him from behind her back. But upon seeing his brother, he raised his arms in the air.

“Loki! Come to watch yourself lose your money?”

You glanced at Loki for context. But he just rolled his eyes. As you approached the laser divider between the bar and the fighters, you slowed your pace so that you were a step behind him. 

He stopped in front of Thor, clasped his hands behind his back, and let out a pained sigh. But glancing over his shoulder to see you, Loki took a step back so you were instead standing side by side.

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” he mocked his brother, turning his nose in the air.

“Well, at least I’m fighting. Not hiding out like a coward,” Thor growled. Glancing at you, he cocked his head. “Hey, I remember you.”

Then his eyes went wide and he started nodding slowly.

“So this is why you didn’t get a chair. You got her instead.” He waved his finger with a smug grin.

Loki narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands behind his back. “Don’t.”

The brothers stared at each other between the glowing red wires. You, never being so grateful that you made them. The tension was undeniably thick. Is this what it meant to like your family? You cleared your throat to bring their attention back to the room.

“Thor.” His name tasted foreign on your lips. “The champion will defeat you. There hasn’t been one survivor since he arrived. This is our last chance to get you out of this.”

“I’ve already heard of the champion’s brutality. I appreciate your concern, but he has not fought me.”

You opened your mouth to reply. But before you could get the words out, the warden announced that time was out.

“Lord of Thunder! You’re up!”

“I look forward to winning my freedom.” Thor winked and turned around to dash off. But before he departed, you called out to him.

“Thor!”

He turned his head.

“Take this.” You held out one of your metal cubes between the glowing wires. He furrowed his brow and examined it.

“What is it?”

“Call it a good luck charm. Keep it on you and don't break it.”

He pursed his lips. But outstretched his palm so you could plop the cube in his hand. You gave him a nod and he left. 

Loki looked even paler than usual as he watched his brother head straight toward danger. Not that he wasn’t used to it by now.

“Is he as good a fighter as his confidence portrays?”

“Sometimes.”

“Let’s hope this is one of those times.”

“And if not?”

“He’s certainly fortunate to have you as a brother. Because now he’s got me in his corner.”

Loki nodded and gave you a smirk through concerned eyes. Leaving you curious to see just how good a fighter the Lord of Thunder really was.

You strut into your father’s private box with an extra swish of your hips. You tossed your hair over your shoulder and gave one of the attendees a wink. Then you grabbed drinks for you and your insufferably polite companion.

Approaching your father, you gave him a devoted peck on the cheek. He smirked and drew the tips of his fingers together.

“You’re in a good mood,” he observed.

“Of course, we have a contender. Everyone is in a good mood.” You beamed at him.

“You’re not wearing your usual outfit.” Referencing your usual green embellishments and facepaint, he cocked his head to the side.

“Didn’t have time. With this one coming back from the dead,” you laughed nervously and gestured to Loki. Technically, it was true.

Satisfied with your answer, the Grandmaster raised his eyebrows and nodded. He turned to the receiver to project his announcement via hologram. As your father welcomed your people to the fight, you overlooked the arena and sipped your drink.

“What did you give to Thor?” Loki whispered.

“A competitive edge.”

“Meaning?”

“Don’t push it. If he overhears us, he’ll kill us both.”

Loki nodded. You stood next to each other in front of the glass. 

When Thor stepped out, Loki smiled. But you heard the way that his breath hitched. You bit your nails as the crowd started booing Thor. Unbothered, he strut to the center of the arena.

“He better be a hell of a fighter,” you murmured.

“He is.”

The entire area rumbled in anticipation of the Champion, echoing the pounding of your heart. Vibrant green color bombs exploded in the air. You snatched Loki’s hand in lieu of biting your nails.

“He’s going to be okay,” you whispered.

“He will be.” Loki nodded.

Thor prepared himself in his fighter’s stance as the doors started to open. Right as you felt like you couldn’t hold your breath anything longer, the Hulk smashed through his puny entrance to grace the crowd with his overbearing presence.

For an instant, time stopped.

Loki simultaneously dropped your hand and his jaw. His pupils blew wide open with aching recognition. You could see his chest rapidly rise and fall with his breath.

“I have to get off this planet.” He started stumbling backward. But you yanked his arm back next to you.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” 

You parted your lips to press him for more information. But Thor screeched the answer in pure joy.

“We know each other! He’s a friend from work.”

Work? What in the universe did Loki do for work? What  _ could _ he do for work?

“You all...work together?” You scrunched one side of your face.

But Loki only sat down, curled his hand in front of his mouth and cleared his throat. Thor started talking to Hulk. But you couldn’t hear the conversation until he pointed to Loki with his weapon.

“Loki! Look who it is?”

You poked Loki in the shoulder a few times. But he continued to stare blankly from his seat. You turned your head to your father. He stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes, trying to study the interaction between his fighters.

“This isn’t good,” you muttered to yourself as you shook your head. You pulled your remote out of your pocket and placed your thumb over the main control. You swallowed and entwined your fingers in Loki’s hand.

To say Thor was relieved to see his opponent was the understatement of the millennia. He knew that Fate was on his side and this was only more evidence of that great truth. He chuckled as he watched the crowd cheer for his friend. But when Hulk turned to him, he realized the mistake of his assumption.

Hulk leaped into the air. Thor narrowly rolled to avoid being squashed. But Hulk rebounded quickly and sent Thor flying across the area.

_ If only he had his hammer. If only he had his hammer. If only he had his hammer. _

His knees burned as he dragged a blade through the rubble to slow his fall. You bit your lip. It wasn’t time. Not yet. Thor had to be in far greater danger.

Ready to actually fight, Thor withdrew his weapons from behind his back. Hulk threw a punch. But he blocked the blow with his sword. Hulk lunged forward. But he sprang up and out of the way. 

He tried to talk him down. But Hulk, uninterested in Thor’s dull words, used his talkativeness as an opening to punch him in the face. Thor went soaring through the air face up. His eyes started to water once his head slammed into the ground. 

Loki’s nails dug into the back of your hand. You grit your teeth and refused to remove your gaze from the fight, even for the mere blink of your eye.

Offended, Thor grabbed the massive hammer that Hulk relinquished. He assaulted the back of his leg. But Hulk only groaned in pain. He punched Thor in the face so hard that he went airborne once again. Hulk followed Thor’s trajectory through the air. He landed on top of him with a pounding thud.

Then, he did what he did best.

He smashed.

Hulk started pulverizing Thor with his fists. Loki’s winced and hissed as he took a sharp inhale. Your finger trembled over your remote. You weren’t sure how much of a beating Thor could take. But it was almost, almost time.

With every blow to his head, images flashed before Thor’s eyes.

_ Whap. _

His father.

_ Whoosh. _

His mother.

_ Pow. _

Hela.

_ Bam. _

Loki.

Right as Thor started to think that maybe, just maybe, everything he thought about himself, life, and the universe was wrong, Hulk abruptly stopped. 

Thor barely turned his head to see Hulk with his hands over his ears. Wincing, Hulk whipped his head all around for the source of his suffering. But Thor could only narrow his eyes in confusion.  He didn’t know what was troubling his friend. But it was exactly the competitive edge that he needed to regain his focus.

Maybe Fate was, in fact, on his side.

Reconnected to his very life force, Thor summoned a bolt of lighting that erupted through his body. The tendrils of his power carried Hulk across the area. Only to let gravity reunite him with the ground with an unforgiving thud.

Already on the edge of your set, you practically fell out, dropping your remote with a clank in the process. You scrambled to pick it up and threw it in your pocket. Loki shot you a curious glance. But you just cleared your throat and continued to look forward.

The Grandmaster stood up and narrowed his eyes at the fight. 

Thor, eyes glowing and wrapped in the electrifying arms of his powers, marched towards Hulk. They charged towards each other, colliding with a force that sent shock waves throughout the entire stadium. 

Thor was first to bounce to his feet after the impact. He readied himself to end this fight for good. Soaking in the sounds of the crowd cheering ‘Thunder! Thunder! Thunder!’ 

But before you got to see the full range of just  _ how good _ a fighter the Lord of Thunder really was, your father used his own remote to immobilize him with the obedience disk.

The competitive edge that Hulk needed to remain the reigning champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're digging this story so far, it would mean the world to me to hear what you're loving! I could definitely use some positive feedback to keep going :,) Regardless, thanks for reading this far!


	11. The Wolf Who Chased the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that I said there would be a reveal. But this scene got longer than anticipated. And rightfully so :) It's coming soon! I promise!

“Where did they take him? Will he be okay? Why aren’t you answering me?” Loki pestered you as you rushed down the hallway to your room. In front of your door, you spun around to shove your finger in his face.

“I told you,” you hissed, “we can’t talk about this out here. God, you get reckless when it comes to your brother.”

You stomped into your room and slammed the door behind him.

“It’s going to get us both killed.”

Loki pressed his palm to his forehead and closed his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

You clasped your hands behind your head and paced in a small circle. He took a seat on the edge of your bed and buried his face in his hands. With a huff, you sat next to him and put your hand on his knee.

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t know what it’s like. You and your brother are so confusing. One moment you’re worried about his safety. The next you’re cheering when the Hulk beats him like a piece of shit ragdoll.”

Loki chuckled through a smirk. You smiled, relieved that he was amused by your assessment of his relationship with Thor.

“Having a family looks...exhausting.”

He placed his hand on the side of your face and stroked your cheek with his thumb. 

“Sometimes, it is.”

You stood up from the bed and started pacing back and forth, allowing Loki’s hand to return to his knee. 

“Well, Thor’s in luck. The people found him entertaining and that will be his salvation. My father won’t get rid of him if he can make him useful.”

Loki nodded and you took a deep breath. You finally asked the question you tried to avoid for as long as possible.

“But he wants you to go home with him?”

“Er, yes. Our sister is back.”

“Sister?”

“Yes.”

“And you like her? This sister?”

“She has a tasteful choice in aesthetic. But no,” Loki swallowed, “she’s absolutely evil. I didn’t know she existed until our father died.”

“Father?”

Loki closed his eyes and slowly inhaled a deep breath. Then he released his exhale with even more precision and glanced back at you. Fate would never allow him to outrun his past. No matter how hard he tried or fast and far he ran.

So, to honor the wishes of the truly divine, he told you.

Everything.

Loki told you about Asgard. He told you about growing up with Thor and learning magic from his mother. He told you about his tense relationship with his father. He told you about Thor’s banishment and learning his parentage.

“So you,” you breathed, “don’t know your biological father either?”

“Worse. I killed him.”

You didn’t notice that your hands were balled in fists. One hung at your side and grew tighter with every word from Loki’s lips. The other rested over your heart, as if afraid to absorb the pain that enveloped the room.

But Loki continued.

“Thor returned from Midgard riddled with love. We fought unlike any time before.”

He told you about trying to use the Bifröst to destroy Jotunheim. He told you about Thor using Mjölnir to destroy the Rainbow Bridge. He told you about Odin waking from Odinsleep just in time to break the brothers apart.

“I destroyed everything in a futile attempt to get what I could never have. So, so I let go. Family is, as you said, exhausting.”

He looked at you with a depth in his eyes that you’d never seen before. You sat next to him on the bed and nodded for him to continue.

Loki told you about Thanos and his torture. He told you about being mind controlled to attack Midgard.

“The entire time, I wanted so desperately to destroy everything around me. I wanted the world to burn and suffer as I had. I started to lose sense if I was doing it because of Thanos’ influence.” He looked at you, eyes filled with remorse. “Or if it was really me. I really didn’t want it to be me.”

Maybe you and Loki were more alike than you thought. Maybe your connection flourished beneath the soil of mischief and chaos. Maybe you had joint roots of pain and tragedy.

Maybe those roots were riddled with love.

“Regardless, I had to pay for my crimes,” Loki continued. He told you about his imprisonment on Asgard. He smiled when he remembered the books and trinkets that his mother brought him. 

But he freed an anguished cry from deep within his throat when he told you how she died. How she died and there was nothing he could have done.

“I-I didn’t even get to attend her funeral. Odin’s final punishment for me being his son.”

Loki’s eyes reddened with sorrow. You wiped a gentle river of tears from your cheek, thanking the abhorrent liquid for keeping you company as you learned the history of Asgard through Loki’s eyes. He told you about saving Jane and faking his death.

“I took vengeance on the fool. I banished him to Midgard as he did to Thor. I ruled as king in his stead. Asgard was prospering, the people were happy. But satisfaction is not in my nature. At least, it’s not meant for me. It’s proven that.

“Thor returned. We found our father. He died. Even in death, Odin continued to bestow his blessings upon us and released our sister. The Goddess of Death. Who is now terrorizing Asgard. Hence, why Thor wants us to return and fight her.”

“And do you want that, Loki? Do you want to go home with Thor and fight her?”

“I don’t know.”

You took his hands in yours and sighed.

“Loki, I have never truly been burdened by the curse of family. I can’t tell you what to do. But I can tell you that you have time. The Grandmaster won’t hurt Thor. He’s safe for now. Take the night to sleep on it.”

You wrapped your hand around the back of his neck to bring his forehead to yours.

“You will make the right decision. I trust you to do that for yourself.”

“I’m relieved that somebody does.”

He leaned his face into yours and stole your breath with a desperate kiss. He snaked his hands up your thighs, around your waist, and entangled them in your hair. You rolled your head back as he littered aching kisses along your neck and jawline. 

But it was true that satisfaction was not in his nature.

He demanded more from you and from your body. He yanked at your hair to bring your lips back to his. But you planted a hand on his chest and withdrew your face from the pleading kiss. He let out a gasp at the disconnection. 

You closed your eyes in anguish. How you wanted to lose yourself in him completely. Especially since this might be the last night the god would grace your bed.

“We shouldn’t.”

“What?” Loki could barely pant in reply. His breath heaved, desperate to tangle itself in yours.

“This is your decision, Loki. It’s not, it’s not about me. You need to choose for yourself.”

You leaped from the bed and walked to your closet, ignoring the aching longing in Loki’s eyes. He vacantly stared at the floor and blinked a few times. But you quickly returned to his sight with two items in hand.

You set the vase of snowdrops on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Then you propped yourself up amongst your pillows and throws and cracked open his volume of Asgardian children's tales and set it in your lap.

Wondering what it would have been like to have a mother to read them to you.

You patted his side of the bed to ask him to get comfortable. He furrowed his brow, but obliged. He sat up next to you and crossed his arms.

You flipped to a story about Skӧll and Hati, two wolves who chase the sun and moon across the sky. You opened your mouth to begin reading, but Loki interrupted you before you could begin.

“Come with me.”

“I can’t.” 

“But you said that you wanted to leave. You could come with me.”

You shook your head and stared at the page. The wolves danced before your eyes. Their playful romping with the celestial magic of the sky soothed your aching heart.

“This is your story, Loki. I’m just a pit stop.”

Then you began reading before he could protest.

The next morning, you woke up wrapped around Loki. His head rested on your shoulder while your arm lazily draped across him.

Taking in the sight, a nearly imperceptible grin ghosted across your lips. You lifted your hand to stroke his hair and chuckled lightly at the sound of his gentle snores.

Wishing that satisfaction was in your nature and that you could, indeed, wake up like this for the rest of your days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone get the piece of shit ragdoll reference?


	12. The Land of Children's Tales

Before you could treasure the sight of Loki in your bed much longer, Topaz banged her fist on the door.

“Throne room NOW! Bring the deadbeat.”

Loki stirred back to the waking world. His mind already longed to return to the best sleep he had since the feigned innocence of childhood. Still nestled in the crook of your shoulder, he furrowed his brow and noticed the pained expression on your face.

“Something’s wrong,” you muttered before launching yourself from the bed. You threw on fresh clothes and fumbled to fit your feet into your boots. You dashed to your closet and armed yourself with the weapons the Grandmaster’s guard returned to you the night before. 

Stumbling back to the bedroom, your eyes flickered between the Asgardian children’s tales and Loki, as if trying to bridge the softness of the previous evening with the harshness of your current reality.

“Are you prepared to fight?” you asked.

“Always.”

You gave him a curt nod. The two of you marched out of your chambers to your awaiting mess of chaos.

When you arrived, your stomach churned at the sight of the Grandmaster’s face. You only saw this expression once before: the day he forbade you from seeing Hulk again. You gulped when you saw Scrapper 142 was also there.

“I’m upset,” the Grandmaster whined. “I’m very upset. You know what I like about being upset? The blame. That’s the mindset I’m in.”

“Father, whatever is wrong, I’m sure I, we, can fix it.”

“Don’t. Don’t even try your tricks on me. I know that you used your frequency emitter last night. That’s exactly the reason I have a guard search you for weapons. He’s getting executed later.”

You swallowed and glanced at the floor. 

“My precious champion has come up missing. And it’s all because of that Lord of Thunder. Your brother. Whatever the story is.” He gestured to Loki before looking at Scrapper 142. “And your contender.”

Then the Grandmaster bore his eyes into yours. “None of this would have happened if you just let him die like he was supposed to.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but Loki interrupted.

“Give me twelve hours and I can bring them both back to you alive.”

You shot him a panicked look, but he took no notice. Scrapper 142 chimed in with her offer.

“I can do it in two.”

You glared at her and cleared your throat. Before your brain could put the breaks on your mouth, you growled, “I can do it in one.”

The Grandmaster shook his head in delight.

“Let’s stop there. You know, I woke up this morning thinking about a public execution. But right now, I’ll settle for this show of who’s going to get him first. And if that fails, I’ll still get my execution.”

If you failed to deliver, the security guard wouldn’t be the only one to die that day. The Grandmaster wiggled his eyebrows with glee. But the joy was immediately washed over with disgust.

“Well, you’re on the clock.” He flicked his wrist to shoo you from his sight.

Around the corner, Loki pestered Scrapper 142.

“What have you done?”

“I don’t answer to you.”

“But you will answer to me,” you growled.

She rolled her eyes and Loki grabbed her wrist. But she swiftly released herself from his grasp. Effectively blocking his secondary attempts to control her, the scrapper punched him in the face. Loki’s head flew backward from the impact.

“I don’t answer to anyone,” she spat. “Especially pathetic little girls who are so desperate for daddy’s approval.”

You upturned your lip and snarled at her. Hands balled in fists and heart racing, you launched yourself at her. 

Loki tried to intervene. He threw himself between you. But when he pressed his hand to your clavicle to hold you back, the elbow of his other arm hit Scrapper 142 in the chin.

She stumbled a few steps backward. But instantly recovered and lunged forward. She punched Loki across the side of his face. You leaped backward to prevent him from crashing into you.

Loki withdrew a dagger in each hand and growled. He didn’t want to waste time. But someone was going to get stabbed for the predicament he was in. Might as well be the true trash whore who sold his brother and verbally assaulted you with an attack that hit too close to home. 

He lunged and aimed for her abdomen. But she blocked his blow with her forearm. Returning the favor, she attacked him with her own blade. Loki swiftly evaded her oncoming assaults and caught her by the forearm. He furrowed his brow at her tattoo and glanced back at her.

“You’re a Valkyrie?”

Your heart leaped into your throat. You read one of Loki’s stories about the Valkyrie. Scrapper 142 was Asgardian. 

You knew the origins of the Grandmaster’s favorite scrappers and contenders. But you never stayed in the room with 142 long enough to learn anything about her. Would she help Thor and Loki return to their home?

Scrapper 142 freed herself from Loki’s grasp. Before she could attack him with another blow, you pounced on her with a screech. Your bodies flew to the floor and landed with a graceless thud. 

She quickly gained control over you by flipping on top of you. You swung your arm to punch her. But she swatted your hand away. You settled for spitting in her face. But that only inspired her hands to lurch forward and wrap around your throat.

Mercilessly gripping her hair, Loki yanked the Valkyrie off of you. With a growl, he flung her across the room. She slammed against the wall with an impact that made her ears ring and vision blurry. 

Breathing heavily, she stumbled a few steps forward. With one arm extended outward for balance, she placed her other hand on her forehead in a feeble attempt to stop the room from spinning. 

You coughed a few times to adjust to having your airways returned to you. Slowly rising from the floor, you saw Loki march towards his weakened prey.

“I thought the Valkyrie all died gruesome deaths,” he smirked.

She raised her head and upturned her lip to snarl at him. The warrior lunged forward, but she faltered in her precision. Loki slammed her back against the wall, pinning her with his forearm.

“Must be a very painful memory,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Loki pressed his palm to her forehead to extract her memories. 

He saw the Valkyrie soaring through the heavens to attack Hela. The earth rained daggers across the sky at the hands of the Goddess of Death. He saw the ground littered with the bodies of Asgard’s elite force of warriors.

The scrapper’s comrade sacrificed herself to save her from the fate of their army. He instantly recognized the hope draining from her eyes. His breath hitched at the sight. 

But there was one more memory that he had to excavate.

He saw her on the outskirts of Sakaar stumbling through piles of trash with a bottle in hand. She tripped and came crashing to the ground. The only soul to witness her falter was the bottle that shattered upon impact. 

The scrapper scrambled to her feet and looked for the object that stole her balance. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw that it was a travel pod. But no adult could ever fit in one so small. 

Her hand hovered over the latch to open it. The gleaming metal emitted a familiar golden glow. One that she and Loki were intimately familiar with. She took a deep breath and opened the pod, gasping at the sight before her. 

A baby. Wrapped in an Asgardian shawl.

The shawl was adorned with intricate embroidery and patterns. The child’s tapestry glimmered with a painted story of wolves that raced across the sky. One chasing the sun. The other chasing the moon. 

Each growling, playful beast wrapped around the babe. A child who, as legend said, would one day swallow both celestial powers from the sky, darkening the world in the final hour of Ragnarӧk.

The warmth of home immediately sobered the heartbroken warrior. She carried the child back to her ship and rocketed to the palace.

Loki stumbled backward and gasped for air. Topaz told him the truth. The Valkyrie leaned back to rest her head on the wall. Having finally shared the burden of her great secret with another.

Your heart raced and you looked between the two Asgardians. Your eyes pleaded for answers. Did they have a secret history? Did Loki finally decide to leave you? What unspoken connection did they just forge?

Still breathing heavily, Loki finally met your gaze. His eyes afire with the softness of home.

“You, you are Asgardian.” He stepped towards you and clasped his hands around your face, drinking in your skin like a man who found his true resting place.

In life and in death.

He threaded his fingers through your hair and leaned down to press his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“You,” he whispered your mutual salvation, “are one of us.”

\---

Back in your workshop, you crossed your arms and tapped your foot for Brunnhilde to explain everything to you. No longer wishing to be solely identified as a scrapper or a Valkyrie, she finally confessed her name. 

“Since she draws her powers from Asgard, Hela knew that the only way to truly kill her was to destroy it. So she made it her mission to prevent Ragnarӧk at all costs,” she said.

“One of her highest ranking warriors had a child. It’s said that in the middle of a battle, Fenris left Hela’s side to be present at the birth. Hela is evil but she’s not stupid. She knew who the child was. Or at least, what you were foretold to do.”

Loki glanced at you. You sucked in a breath as she continued her tale.

“She demanded that the mother, your mother, killed you. But instead of following orders, she came to us. She asked for your safekeeping. And in exchange, she would provide inside information about Hela’s operation.

“We gave the child to Frigga before our final battle against Hela. When we realized that no one,” she took a deep breath, “was supposed to make it out alive, we sent a distress signal. That signal told Frigga to send the child away. Because if she, if you, were on Asgard, Hela surely would have killed you.”

Brunnhilde removed her cape and tore it half. Revealing, from between the two fabrics, the shawl that Loki saw in her memories. She spread it across your workstation.

“Figga enchanted this. Hoping it would lead you back home when it was your time. I couldn’t let them have it when I brought you here.”

You traced your fingers over the dazzling shapes and colors. The gold shimmered as the wolves danced and played. Just like the ones in Loki’s book. You did have a mother who could have read those same tales to you. In a different reality, you had a family. You had an entire people.

“Why did you give me to the Grandmaster?” you whispered without looking up from the shawl.

“I-I was in no condition to raise you. I figured you would be safer with him. Even though he is crazy.”

You nodded and looked at Loki. Clutching a corner of the shawl to his face, he gasped a small cry. He buried himself in the last remaining magic of his mother, whispering thanks to her in Valhalla for protecting you.

After his prayer, he looked at you with the same longing eyes from the night before.

“Come with me. We’ll find Thor and go back to Asgard and defeat Hela. Together.”

“I can’t.” You shook your head with your mouth slightly open.

“And why not?”

“This isn’t about me! I don’t want to get caught up in your exhausting family drama!”

“But if anything, this proves it. This is about you.” He gestured to the shawl. Then scanned the room with his eyes. “It proves that you were meant for more than this. You came from more than this.”

Your lip trembled and you gulped to hold back the oncoming tears. You sucked in a breath and wrinkled your nose. Looking at the ceiling, you freed an anguished shriek from deep within your throat.

Loki twisted his face in a mixture of fear and confusion. Brunnhilde’s eyes went wide. You started shaking your head as the tears overpowered your will.

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair at all. The only time that I get to go back is to destroy it. That’s not home. Asgard may be your home, Loki. But it is not mine. It’s not my burden to bear.”

You bit your lip and buckled over. Your chest tried to collapse in on itself as you sobbed. You shook your head in your hands before raising your eyes to scan the room. 

The wires, the dirt, the mess, the metal, the harshness. That was your true home. Not the gilded glamor of an empire that lay still enough to write children’s tales.

“Please,” he whispered your name like a prayer to his mother. “When I told you I was home, I meant it. Asgard is not a place. It’s a people. Come home. Come home to us.”

Loki took careful steps towards you as if approaching a wounded animal. He raised his hands to rest the tips of his fingers on your hips. When you didn’t flinch or withdraw from his touch, he wrapped his arms around you and rested his cheek on the top of your head. You shrank your arms into your chest and bit your lip.

“Come home to me,” he breathed.

Your breath hitched as you resisted his comfort. Your psyche was only equipped to self soothe in the way that an abandoned child could. You squirmed in his arms. But Loki only held you tighter and placed a kiss on top of your head.

You blankly stared at the floor. But after a few breaths, you drew in a deep inhale. Using the extra space that your breath made, you wrapped your arms around him and sighed into his chest. 

You felt his arms relax and melt into your body even more. They simultaneously softened and strengthened around you. Like loving soldiers standing guard over the greatest treasure in the Nine Realms.

You, in turn, willingly lost yourself in him. Not as a desperate cry to escape yourself or your cursed existence. But as an aching heart finally accepting your story.

An aching heart riddled with love.

You nodded into his chest and withdrew yourself from his embrace. He placed his hands on your arms and waited for you to speak.

“If I go, you can’t leave. If you use me like his has, I will kill you.”

Loki smirked and squeezed your arms. “Never.”

You took a deep breath and nodded. His eyes glimmered with hope. It was a look that Loki hadn’t adorned in quite some time.

“Careful with those threats, darling. Attempted murder is my love language.”

You bit your lip and looked at him with a sparkle of mischief in your eyes.

“You say that like we’ll fall in love.”

He wrapped his hand around the side of your face. 

“If I should ever be so fortunate.”


	13. I Will Slaughter You Myself

Brunnhilde went to find Thor and Hulk, leaving you and Loki in your workshop together. You gave her codes to a secret passageway so they could return unseen. 

While you waited, Loki materialized his book of Asgardian children’s tales. He read you stories, using his seiðr to bring them to life before your eyes. Of course, adding his opinionated commentary all along the way.

Neither of you knew what awaited when you actually arrived on Asgard. But Loki wanted you to experience the motherland as he had. Even if he could only offer a shadow of its true majesty.

After some time, the secret door to your workshop groaned open. You turned to see Brunnhilde with two figures behind her. Thor strut into the workshop and beamed at you and Loki. You narrowed your eyes at the man next to him. But after a moment, your heart leaped.

“No!” you exclaimed before pouncing on him with a hug. 

He stumbled backward in surprise. Tentatively patting your back, he glanced at Thor. He pointed to you and mouthed ‘who is this?’ to him. Thor shrugged and you withdrew yourself from your one-sided embrace. Loki furrowed his brow at your peculiar interest in Banner.

“I never thought I’d get to meet this version of you,” you sang.

Bruce cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry, but do we know each other? You seem...kinda familiar?”

“Oh yes, I knew you as…” you waved your hand in the air.

“Hulk?”

You nodded. 

“We were friends. He was, well, my only friend for a bit there. We got into quite a bit of trouble. So much that I had to find a way to keep him subdued. After we got completely hammered one night, I studied his brain. Found a frequency that only he could hear. And accidentally stumbled on, well, you. Bruce, right?”

He blinked a few times to ensure he heard you correctly. Thor and Loki exchanged a surprised glance at each other.

“I mean,” you clarified, “I didn’t actually meet you. I had a device on his head and you spoke to me through him. You begged me to get you out. But he took over. I wasn’t allowed to see you after that day. So I never got to use it again. Would you like to see it?”

“Uh, sure.” Bruce’s eyes darted around the room. He put his palm to his forehead. “Why don’t I remember this?”

You threw a few tins across the room with a clank. Reaching into the back of a cabinet, you withdrew a grimy metal toolbox and set in on the table. When you opened the lid, Loki raised his eyebrows, surprised to see a keypad and variety of wires, unlike the outside of the box, in pristine condition.

You punched a code in and the secondary lid opened to reveal an adjustable headband adorned in different colored disks. You handed it to Bruce and he cautiously accepted your offering.

“I don’t know if it works both ways. But at the very least, it’s a start.” You shrugged.

Bruce examined the contraption. He closely studied the exposed wiring and circuit boards. For being on a planet made of garbage, you made a promising prototype. Perhaps there was a way for him and Hulk to converse in peace? 

He looked at you, mouth slightly open in surprise. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Thank both of you. I learned what it meant to have a friend thanks to you, er, him.” You opened a cabinet and tossed a bag of Hulk’s favorite crackers to him. “I don’t know if you’ll like these. But he was always hungry.”

Bruce opened the bag and wrinkled his brow at the peculiar round crackers. He gave them a whiff and tentatively took a bite. Surprised by the jaw strength required to crunch through them, he upturned his lip. But eventually deemed them acceptable and kept eating.

Thor nodded and cleared his throat to bring the attention of the room to him.

“Yes, well, Brunnhilde tells me you are Asgardian. You’re willing to help us escape and fight Hela?”

You nodded. “Yes, if you’ll have me. With everything this planet and I have done to you, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to leave without me.”

“Nonsense. You are of Asgard. You are one of us. Of course you’re coming with.”

You bit your lip and glanced down. But after a breath, turned your gaze to Loki. When he gave you a nod, you smiled.

“Very well,” Brunnhilde intervened after a gulp of her drink. “Sakaar and Asgard are about as far apart as any two known systems. Our best bet is a wormhole just outside the city limits. Refuel on Xandar and we should be there in about eighteen months.”

“Nope. We are going through the big one,” Thor demanded.

“The Devil’s Anus?” you and the Valkyrie questioned in unison.

“Anus?” Bruce exclaimed, his mouth overflowing.

“For the record,” Thor added, “I didn’t know it was called that when I picked it.”

Brunnhilde shook her head. “We’re going to need a different ship. That one will tear mine to pieces.”

Then she, Thor and Banner discussed the varying needs of a ship strong enough to survive the Devil’s Anus. Loki looked at you and raised his eyebrows. But you just shrugged and watched them.

“We need one that can withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity,” Thor said.

Bruce chimed in. “One that has an offline power steering system that could also function without the onboard computer.”

“And we need one with cup holders because we’re going to die!” Brunnhilde raised her drink in the air.

Finally, you failed to suppress your laugh. Loki smirked and beamed at his brother.

“What?” Thor shrugged. “We need a ship.”

You nodded. “Of course we do. Do you know what I do around here?”

“Other than spoiling my brother?”

You smirked. “I built all of the Grandmaster’s ships.”

“I may have stolen the access codes to his security system,” Loki snickered.

You whipped your head to glare at him. “Did you get those from Topaz?”

He nodded. But instead of praising him, you shrieked into a giggle fit.

“Oh god. Don’t use those ones,” you snorted. “You’ll get shot with a poison dart.”

Loki scrunched his face in betrayal. But you laughed and raised your eyebrows at him.

“You could have told me that,” he snipped.

“Didn’t know you two were sharing secrets.” You shrugged. Then, taking pity on the embarrassed fool, you put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

“Damn,” Thor muttered. “I would have liked to see that.”

“Me too,” Bruce echoed.

Loki finally closed his hanging jaw in favor of pursing his lips. He glanced at the floor. But when your attention was back on Thor, he smirked.

“I can get you access to any ship just outside those doors.” You pointed to the main entrance to your workshop. Thor grinned ear to ear. A sparkle of mischief flashed across his eyes.

“Well, brother. It seems you found yourself a clever one.”

“Yes,” Loki replied coolly. “After millennia with you, I desired the company of someone who could actually stimulate my intellect.”

You snickered and Loki gave you a wink. Thor scrunched his nose. But before he could reply, Brunnhilde cut in to keep everyone on track.

“It’s settled then? We’re stealing a ship and traveling through the Anus?”

You shook your head. “We have one more stop. Just to be safe. The armory.” 

Brunnhilde grinned and let out a low chuckle. You wiggled your eyebrows at her then turned to Loki.

“You and Thor take Baby. I added your prints to the scanner last night just in case you decided to leave today.”

“Baby?” Thor asked. 

“You what? How’d you manage that?” Loki cocked an eyebrow. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He squinted, trying to recall your whereabouts for the evening. 

“Anyway,” you continued. “I’m the only one with access to the armory. So we’ll take care of things here and catch up with you two. They won’t think much of my ship taking off. So you’ll get a decent head start.”

“What about me?” Bruce pointed to himself. “Wouldn’t it be better if I was on the ship?”

You shook your head. “There’s no way that you’d fit. I figure you’re safer with us than in a cramped canister hurtling through a wormhole with this asshole.”

You pointed to Loki. “No offense.” 

He shrugged. “It’s probably for the best.”

“Good.” You turned to Brunnhilde. “Ready to give Korg that revolution he keeps talking about?”

“Let’s make a beautiful mess of things.” She smiled and nodded.

Loki turned to you and put his hand on the side of your face. Thor raised an eyebrow, but quickly busied himself chatting with Bruce and Brunnhilde. Although, he snuck a glance back and you and Loki every so often.

“Are you sure about this?” Loki whispered to you.

“Of course.”

“Because we can stop it all right now. We can leave. Just you and me.”

You placed your hand over his and smiled.

“I’ve never been burdened by the curse of family. I think I’d like to change that.”

Loki took a deep breath and brought you into his embrace, resting his head on top of yours. You squeezed him tighter than ever before. 

Neither of your minds lingered long on the possibility that this could be your last moment together. You didn’t want to have to split up. But you knew it was the safest way to minimize attention to yourselves.

Loki’s eyes trailed upwards long enough to see Thor beaming at him with a thumbs up. He narrowed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. Then, choose to instead direct his gaze back to you.

You pulled away from him just enough to wrap your hand behind his neck. Drawing his lips to yours, you kissed him slowly and generously. When your tongue entered his mouth, it lingered in familiar spots a bit longer than normal. As if you were relearning the feeling of his touch and committing it to memory. 

Just in case.

Breaking away from your kiss, he placed his hands on either side of your face and pressed his forehead to yours. Neither of you opened your eyes for a moment, enjoying the bliss of your breath mingling together.

In a flash, you withdrew a blade and threw it to Loki’s throat. You narrowed your eyes at him.

“If you and your brother get yourselves killed, I will bring you back from the dead just to slaughter you myself. And don’t,” you pressed the blade into this flesh, “don’t even think about damaging my baby.”

He chuckled lowly and placed his finger on top of your weapon to lower it. Simultaneously withdrawing the one he had pressed to your stomach. 

Loki gazed into your eyes with the same look from the morning he gave you the snowdrop. Glistening eyes. Relaxed muscles. Lips slightly parted. This time, cheeks a little flushed too. 

You still didn’t know what to make of the peculiar expression. But you also didn’t realize that you were mirroring the same. Leaving him to wonder, as always, what  _ this  _ really was. 

The corner of his lip upturned into a smirk. He placed his hand on your shoulder and lowered it down your arm to hold your hand.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he vowed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready to Ragnarok n' Roll?!


	14. What True Love Feels Like

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gjallarhorn: Heimdall's trumpet that can play a specific note that can be heard in Valhalla  
> Gungnir: Odin's spear

“There’s no way,” Thor said, shaking his head.

He and Loki stood in front of your ship, trying to understand how the two of them would fit into your sleek, beloved beast. 

“We have to,” Loki groaned.

“Okay, but I’m driving.”

“Excuse me. But I believe I’m the one with access to the controls. You’ll do no such thing.”

Thor grumbled.

“If you have a fit, I’ll have no problem leaving you here.”

“Fine.” Thor rolled his eyes and huffed.

Loki smirked and pressed his finger to your keypad. The door opened to welcome its new driver. Thor fumbled inside and squished into the passenger seat. Loki strode in after him and squeezed into his own.

“Move over!” he complained. 

“I’m moved over as far as I can!”

“No you’re not. You're taking up extra room on purpose.”

Loki rammed his shoulder into Thor’s.

“Hey!”

“I’m not the one with the behemoth shoulders that suck all the air out of the room.”

Thor kicked his foot.

“Well I’m not the one with these spidery legs hanging everywhere!”

Loki snarled at him. After much grunting and fussing, the brothers finally settled into their seats with minimal physical contact. The tempting green button in the center of the console caught Thor’s eye.

“Oh!” he squeaked, reaching his hand out to press it. Loki smacked it away and glared at him.

“Driver picks the music,” he growled.

Then he punched the button in the top console to open the garage bay. He roared the engine to life and chuckled. He could see why you loved this obedient beast so much.

Loki pressed the tempting green button to blare your favorite rock through the speakers. They sped off through the sky and straight towards the Devil’s Anus.

While they were soaring through the air, Thor cleared his throat to address the unasked question in the cramped ship.

“So...she’s Asgardian.”

“Yes.”

“And you like her?”

“Very observant Thor, as always.”

“Loki,” his tone softened. “Is this love?”

Loki’s eyes flickered from his brother and back to the sky ahead of him. Garbage continued to rain down. He swallowed without a word. But Thor pressed the subject.

“I ask because I want you to be happy. I really do.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what it is. And even if it were love, as you so simply assume, she wouldn’t let me.”

“She won’t let you love her?”

Loki stared forward and clenched his teeth. Thor chuckled and leaned back as far as the minuscule space would allow him.

“I have no idea what that’s like,” he mused. Loki groaned and rolled his eyes.

“She’s complicated, volatile, and chaotic. One moment she’s orchestrating the most brilliant schemes with me. The next, she has a blade to my throat.”

“Mmm,” Thor hummed, the sound full of certainty.

Loki glowered at him. He raised his hands in surrender.

“Again, no idea what that’s like.”

Loki’s jaw ticked as he thought about the past few weeks. 

Your first encounter and him mocking the concept of love. How, after many nights together, you recoiled at his domestic touch. But instead, helped him embrace his own chaotic side. 

How you laughed and cried with him uncontrollably, a vulnerability granted for his eyes only. But you attacked him the moment he mentioned the Grandmaster.

How whenever he offered affection to you, you refused to accept it. But with some prodding, eventually gave in. Loving you, if he were to ever do such a rash thing, should be exhausting. 

Should be.

Your youth forged a powerful, resourceful creature with the broken heart of a warrior. Even to Loki, you were, without a doubt a complete fucking mess. Perhaps even more undone than he. 

Then, his eyes blew wide open. 

“Oh gods.” 

He broke his gaze from the skyline to turn his head to Thor, terror stricken across his face.

“Thor, _I’m_ the stable one.”

Thor’s laughter erupted through your ship over the pulsing rock music. He, again, having no idea what that must be like. Loki returned to focusing on the sky ahead while blinking rapidly.

“Well, brother.” Thor patted him on the back, making Loki wince. “Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. You might have just met your match.”

Thor settled back into his seat, chuckling as he relaxed his muscles. But his amusement ended as soon as they neared the edge of the Devil’s Anus. 

He narrowed his eyes. The ship began to shake and rattle, as if protesting the brothers’ choice in flight paths. Heart racing, Loki swallowed and held his breath.

“Are we mad?” Thor asked, practically at the entrance to the wormhole. 

“Certainly,” his brother confirmed.

\---

Back in hiding, Heimdall narrowed his eyes as the onset of Ragnarök drew nearer.

“Asgard.” His voice echoed throughout the mountainous stronghold. “She’s here.”

Hela withdrew her weapons to destroy the painfully obvious door to the lair. Each blade tore through the stone like she envisioned piercing Odin’s heart throughout the centuries. The door succumbed to her will with a thunderous moan.

She pranced across her self-made bridge with Skurge by her side. But when she entered the lair, she was disappointed to see Heimdall standing by himself.

“What a boring way to die,” she droned. “All alone.”

“I am far from alone.”

With a gentle whoosh of air, Hela, Skurge, and Heimdall were suddenly in the throne room. She turned around, unsettled by the mysterious magic that just enchanted her. 

But before she could protest, Heimdall withdrew Gjallarhorn from his robes. He breathed a single solemn note into the trumpet’s reverberating brass. The call echoed throughout the palace walls and straight to the halls of Valhalla.

“No,” Hela whispered, her breath quickening with rage. Her pupils blew wide open as the legend began.

Behind Heimdall, two figures materialized in a dusty golden glow. Hela was faced with the faces of two people she never thought she would have to see again: her mother and father. Their bodies emitted a gentle glow to remind the land of the living of their stay was just temporary.

Three other figures began to emerge through the thick air. Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg appeared, adorned in battle armor reserved for the highest of heroes. From behind a pillar, Lady Sif revealed herself. She marched forward to stand next to her departed friends. 

Reunited for one final glorious battle.

For Asgard.

Heimdall nodded to Odin and took off to assist the rest of the people. Odin turned to face his daughter.

“Stop this, Hela,” he commanded. “Stop this before we do what we must.”

But Hela snarled and stamped her foot. “I do not stand down. Especially at the request of a fool like you.”

“Very well. You have made your choice.”

Odin summoned his trusted spear Gungnir. He fired a shot at his daughter. She replied by throwing a sword dedicated just for his weak, cowardly heart. 

The two attacks struck each other head on, igniting a blast that reverberated throughout all of Asgard. The assault shook the oceans of the world, as if awakening a slumbering beast from within.

Hela sprang to her feet. She sent a bouquet of daggers to welcome her opponents from the dead. Frigga blocked two from hitting her and Fandral with a single swipe of her enchanted sword. Odin evaded the blow while Sif rolled in a graceful tumble to protect Hogun and Volstagg with her shield.

Hela rolled her neck and snarled. She conjured an axe in one hand and sword in the other. With a single fateful step, she lunged at the hall of heroes, ready to give the title of the Goddess of Death a new level of bloodied meaning.

The very moment that they stepped out of your ship, all of Asgard shook beneath Thor and Loki. They looked at each other. Each brother tried to hide the panic from his eyes. But each brother easily saw behind the mask of the other.

They heard shouts and glass breaking from the palace and dashed inside their former home. Only to be left with wide eyes and jaws hanging open at the sight before them.

The Warriors Three and Sif skillfully fought against a hoard of skeletal soldiers. Sif sliced the reawakened bones to pieces and protected those of her own. The Warriors Three bulldozed rows of their enemies, radiating their golden glow as a blessing from Valhalla.

Skurge cowered behind a pillar and patted the skeletons on the back as they marched on to their second death.

As if orchestrated by a divine conductor, Thor and Loki’s hearts both stopped when their eyes landed on the throne. Hela stood atop the gilded chair with one foot on each armrest. She defended a blow from Odin’s spear with her sword. 

Frigga raced around the throne to attack her backside. But Hela’s quick footwork maneuvered her around so she could grab her mother by the throat and lift her from the ground.

“NO!” Loki cried. He sent a dagger hurtling through the air. It flew past a pack of undead soldiers, in front of Sif’s wide eyes, and straight to the throne where it firmly planted itself in Hela’s neck.

She snarled and released Frigga, who collapsed to the ground. Plucking the dagger from her throat, she cast it aside and turned to her attacker. 

“You’re still alive,” she taunted.

She readjusted her stance. With a running start, she leaped across the room to pounce on her brothers. Thor pushed Loki out of the way to spring forward. Soaring through the air, Thor glanced at his hand to realize, in that divine moment, that he was unarmed.

But right as he settled for punching his dreadful sister in the face, the cool metal of a slender rod met his open palm. He struck Hela across the face with Gungnir and she slammed to the floor.

Feet reunited with the marble, Thor tossed the spear back to his father. Odin nodded back to him. 

Loki rushed to his mother’s side to help her up. His eyes darted all over her, bewitched by the glow that enveloped her body.

“What? How?” he breathed.

Rising to her feet, she placed a hand on his cheek. “We were summoned from Valhalla to help you.”

“I’m so, I’m so sorry,” he pleaded.

Frigga smiled, then lunged forward to stab an undead soldier creeping up behind Loki’s back. Loki turned around to see the pile of bones at his feet. He looked back at his mother and took her hands in his.

“You are my mother. You have always been my mother.”

Without removing his gaze from her, he shot a blade straight into the barren eye socket of an approaching skeleton. It toppled to the ground.

“As you are my son. Always have been.”

Loki smirked. Then he and Frigga turned their backs to each other and continued to battle the onslaught of undead soldiers. 

Loki remembering, once again, what true love feels like.


	15. Always Worthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hofund is the Bifrost sword.

Heimdall led Asgard to the Bifröst, seeking safe passage for his people from their impending fate. After traversing the first stretch of the Rainbow Bridge, they were met with the growl of Fenris blocking their entrance. 

Holding up his arm, Heimdall requested that the people stop. The wolf stamped his front foot in reply.

Heimdall’s mind raced with possible options to ensure the safety of his people. But the wolf had no patience for him. Instead, he snarled and charged forward. Heimdall turned to his people and demanded that they retreat. His command sent shock waves of panic throughout the crowd.

They tussled back and forth as Fenris’ claws stripped the crystalline bridge of its outer layer. But the wolf was brought to a halt when gunfire rained from the sky. 

With the utmost precision, you lowered the Commodore from the clouds, granting Brunnhilde easier access to attack the beast with the machine gun.

You shouted to Bruce to take control of the ship. He dashed next to the pilot’s seat.

“Just keep it steady,” you commanded. He nodded and traded places with you. You snatched your laser cannon and positioned yourself on the edge of the ship to join the Valkyrie’s attack.

But before you could find your sure footing, the Commodore jolted forward. The lurch sent you careening to the Rainbow Bridge with a careless splat.

Asgard’s welcome home to its long lost queen of chaos.

You sprang back to your feet and shook out your head. Glowering at the suddenly steady ship above you, you picked up your laser cannon. However, your eyes blew wide open when you saw Fenris ignore Brunnhilde’s assault. He instead, locked his eyes on you.

Baring his teeth, the wolf growled and marched towards you. Your heart was ready to leap from your chest in its own feeble attempt to protect the rest of your body. Aiming your cannon, you slammed your eyes shut, ready to meet your impending doom.

But the wolf threw his ears back and froze in his tracks. Brunnhilde cocked her head to the side and stopped firing.

“What’s it doing?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t know.” She furrowed her brow.

When the sound of gunfire stopped pelting your eardrums, you dared to crack one eye open. Fenris tilted his head to the side. You slowly lowered your cannon and took a step forward, mirroring his curious tilt to get a better look at the beast.

By now, all of Asgard was watching you. You could feel the wolf’s hot breath wash over your skin. With another step forward, you placed your palm over your heart. Eyes still locked with Fenris’, you lowered your head in a bow. 

Heimdall squeezed Hofund in his hand, prepared to charge forward should you need him. But his heart skipped a beat when he saw what the wolf did next.

Shaking his neck, Fenris readjusted his stance to stand tall. He then lowered his front leg to return your welcome by kneeling before you, finally reunited with his true partner in this second life.

Bruce lowered the Commodore so Brunnhilde was eye level with you. Through misty eyes, you let out a gasp and looked to her. She returned your gaze with a twinkling smile. 

You turned your head to take in your first look at your people. Heimdall placed Hofund in front of him. Wrapping his hands around the hilt, he lowered his head in a bow to you. He breathed a sigh of relief and you returned your gaze to Fenris.

You set down your cannon and the wolf took a step towards you. He lowered his head so you could wrap your arms around his snout. You adorned his nose with a kiss and pressed your forehead to his fur.

“You are going to be quite a bit of trouble aren’t you?”

The wolf panted and slammed his rear to the bridge, shaking the ground beneath your feet. He threw his head back and freed a howl from deep within his throat. 

Feeling, at that moment, very fortunate indeed.

The wolf’s cry pierced through the halls of the palace. As if by command, everyone ceased fighting. Hela whipped her head around and her eyes went wide.

“Fenris,” she gasped. 

She turned back to Thor and struck him across the face with her sword, slicing through his eye. Thor threw his hand over his face with a cry. 

Without missing a beat, Hela sprinted through the palace. She sprang forth from the balcony to reunite with her beloved companion. Her army immediately filed out of the throne room to follow her.

Balling his hands in fists, Thor released a guttural scream in anguish. Everyone dashed to surround him. He threw his knees to the floor and panted. Bent over, he stared at scuffed marble with his one good eye.

“She is too powerful,” he lamented. “She is one woman and we are the strongest in all of Asgard. Yet, we still can’t defeat her.”

He looked at the Warriors Three and shook his head. 

“She killed you and I didn’t even know. I wasn’t here. I am so sorry that I failed you.”

Sif placed her hand on his shoulder. Thor hung his head and clenched his fists. 

“If only I had my hammer!”

Loki tensed his jaw and glanced down. Odin chuckled.

“You think this is funny?” Loki spat. “She's going to destroy us all. And it’s your fault. You died and left us to clean up your mess!”

He pointed his finger and snarled. But Frigga rested her hands on his arm to lower it. They exchanged a glance and he composed himself, still clenching his jaw.

“Even with two eyes, you only saw half the picture,” Odin told Thor. “That hammer was to help you control your power, to focus it. It was never your source of strength.”

He materialized a gilded eyepatch in his palm. It’s glow faded to confirm that it was a gift from Valhalla to be kept by the living. He handed it to Thor who placed it over his still healing wound.

“Where do you get your power from?” Odin asked.

“Asgard.”

But Odin shook his head. Thor cocked his head to the side. To answer his unasked question, Odin placed his finger on Thor’s chest and smiled. 

“It’s you,” Odin commanded.

Thor glanced down and shook his head.

“But I’m not as strong and you.”

Odin wrapped his hands around his son’s shoulders, who still knelt on the floor.

“No,” he assured. “You’re stronger.”

Thor swallowed and turned his head to Loki. Loki clasped his hands behind his back and nodded to his brother.

“It’s true,” he agreed. “You are more of a man, more of a king, than he ever was.”

Loki glowered at Odin. But his tension softened when the ghost gave a single solemn nod to his failed son. Loki returned his gaze to Thor.

“Than I ever was,” he whispered.

The brothers stared at each other for a holy moment. Both masks, for the first time since childhood, completely absent from their faces. 

Thor glanced at the floor and swallowed. He nodded and looked back up to see Loki’s outstretched hand, a gesture to help Thor rise to his true power.

But before Thor could accept his brother’s peace offering, the air around them rattled with a familiar piercing sound. The brothers snapped their gaze to the open balcony doors. Their eyes went wide at the sight of Mjölnir hurtling through the throne room.

The corner of Thor’s lip upturned in the beginning of a smile. He outstretched his hand to receive his own beloved companion. But the hammer flew right past him into the unsuspecting palm of his brother.

Loki instantly wrapped his fingers around the hammer. His body jerked to bring its trajectory to a halt. His mouth hung open in shock. Loki stared at his hand then looked at Thor then back to the hammer. It glowed a soft golden light. 

Back from the dead to tell the youngest Odinson that he is, indeed, worthy.

Thor’s look of confusion was quickly replaced with an ear-to-ear smile. He sprang upright and grabbed Loki’s shoulders to shake him with pride.

“I knew it!” he exclaimed.

Loki’s face was frozen. The shock etched into his muscles like the battle scuffs in the marble. He glanced down at his hand, curious about one more experiment before he could believe this to be true.

Loki allowed the skin across his hand to fade from his pale mask to the cerulean hues of his true heritage. He clenched his jaw and shook his head when he saw that the hammer did not flee from his grasp. Knowing now, without a shadow of a doubt, that all parts of him are worthy.

And always have been.

He drew in a sharp inhale through his nose and held Mjölnir out to his brother.

“Here.”

Thor held up his hands and shook his head. “No, no. It’s yours. It’s chosen you.”

Loki snickered. “I don’t need it. I have,” he turned his head to smile at his mother, “infinitely more useful and impressive powers.”

“Well, I don’t need it either.” Thor patted his chest with a closed fist. “I have the power within me.”

Sif rolled her eyes and snatched the hammer from Loki’s hand. Everyone in the room could only stare at her.

“We don’t have time for your squabbles. Hela’s about to destroy all of Agard.”

Shield in one hand and Mjölnir in the other, she gestured to the door with the hammer.

“Let’s go!”

The brothers looked at each other with wide eyes. They nodded before bounding out after the worthy warrior.

Ready to unite with the rest of Asgard’s mightiest heroes for the glorious battle ahead.


	16. The Seas Parted

On the Rainbow Bridge, a horde of undead soldiers charged towards the people of Asgard. Fenris galloped across the bridge and leaped over the terrified crowd to block the army’s path. Having bought them some time, Heimdall commanded the people to move forward. 

At the front of her army, Hela glared at the wolf. 

“Fenris, why are you misbehaving? Let us pass.”

But he roared at her in response. Hela hissed and withdrew her weapons to attack the traitor. She buried her betrayal within the armory of her heart. There was no time to indulge in grief.

Nodding to you, Brunnhilde leaped from the Commodore to charge towards the soulless army. She gasped when her fall wasn’t broken by the rough impact of the Rainbow Bridge. Instead, she landed on the smooth back of Aragorn. Her winged horse whinnied in delight, wrapped in its golden glow to make the Valkyrie whole once again.

You abandoned your cumbersome canon in favor of one of Loki’s swords. Heimdall gave you a nod as he led the people to the Bifröst. You sprinted down the bridge, always ready for a fight.

To keep the path to Asgard’s salvation open, Bruce stabilized the Commodore in a hover alongside the Rainbow Bridge. Standing on the edge of the ship, he shook out his hands and cleared his throat.

“Okay big guy, time to get this show on the road.”

But Hulk only grumbled in response.

“What do you mean not right now?! Now is exactly the time that we gotta, we gotta do our thing.”

Bruce slapped the sides of his face a couple of times. Then he wrinkled his nose and groaned.

“Well fine! If you’re going to be a baby about this, I’ll do it without you.”

He riffled through the stockpile of weapons you stole from the Grandmaster’s armory. Settling on a less intimidating, but adequately sized gun, he snatched it from the pile and returned to the ledge of the Commodore. 

“Shit, I hope I can do this without you.”

He flung himself from the ship to the Rainbow Bridge then trotted towards the battle ahead.

With the help of Loki’s sword, you carved through waves of undead soldiers. Three of them marched behind you to attack your backside. But Fenris snapped them up in his jaw and spat them out into the sea.

Hela shrieked. She lunged at you, latching her palm to your throat. You dropped your sword as she sent you flying across the bridge. Your connected bodies bulldozed a few of her own soldiers along the way. 

Hand still crushing your throat, she slammed your body to the crystal. The collision made your eyes water as you gasped for air.

“YOU,” she snarled. “You are the one who bewitched him. Give him back to me!”

You dug your nails into her hand and kicked underneath her weight. But she didn’t budge.

“Maybe,” you coughed, “if you weren’t such an evil bitch, even your dog would stay by your side.”

Hela wailed a piercing cry that she hadn’t called since childhood. She raised you by your throat, ready to slam you back into the bridge. But your skull didn’t shatter into the prismatic crystal. Instead, your throat was freed and you fell with a soft thud that knocked the remaining air from your lungs.

In a joint assault of seiðr and lightning, Hela went careening over the side of the Rainbow Bridge. She slammed a dagger into the crystal just in time to catch her fall. Thor charged towards her as she sprang back from the ledge. The entire bridge shook when he blasted her with the full, unbridled power of Thor.

Loki helped you to your feet with one hand, holding his sword in the other.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Hand rubbing your throat, you nodded. He drew in a sharp inhale.

“When did you steal this from me?”

You cleared your throat and wrapped your hand around the hilt. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He smirked just as you lunged forward to stab an teetering soldier from behind his back. Behind you, he cast an illusion that sent a pile of them careering off the edge of the bridge to their watery graves.

You and Loki turned your backs to each other and fought the unending onslaught of Hela’s army. Slicing through the ancient bones, you watched as Thor continued to assault Hela with the help of two glowing warriors. One woman with a seemingly enchanted sword and a man with an eyepatch matching Thor’s.

On the back of Aragorn, Brunnhilde soared through the air and beheaded lines of skeletons with her dragonfang. Fenris continued to gobble the soldiers and stomp on them left and right. 

To his relief, Bruce received the assistance of Sif and the Warriors Three to escort the remaining Asgardians to the Bifrӧst. There were only a few more people left. You wouldn’t have to hold off Hela for much longer.

Destruction surged all around you. But you, a warrior born with the blessing of destiny and forged in the fires of chaos, never felt so at peace in your life. Like the eye of a storm, you and Loki cleared your surrounding area in a flourish of emerald light and the strokes of your swordsmanship. The rhythm of your attacks created a symphony of sacred carnage.

You and Loki quickly eradicated your zone of Hela’s army. In the brief moment of respite, he spun you around to bring his lips to yours. He held you up by your upper back as you wrapped one hand around his neck, dangling his sword from the other.

“Welcome home,” he breathed between fevered kisses.

“Asgard is not a place, it’s a people. You are my home, Loki.” 

You broke from his embrace to check on the Bifröst. The last few Asgardians finally entered the observatory and Bruce shook his gun in the air triumphantly. 

You threaded your fingers through Loki’s hair to bring his forehead to yours. 

“Now, let’s get out of here,” you requested.

You waved your arm to Brunnhilde to gesture her towards the Bifrost. She dismounted Aragorn to join you alongside Loki. Having completed her mission, the winged horse evaporated in a cloud of brilliant golden sparks.

Fenris leaped across the bridge to dutifully protect your backside.

Fandral, Hogan, and Volstagg placed their fists over their chests and bowed to Sif before returning to Valhalla. Mjölnir faded from her grasp and she escorted Bruce into the observatory.

Nearly there yourselves, Loki glanced between the legs of the wolf to see Thor, Odin, and Frigga synchronize a single blow to Hela. She went tumbling through the air and crashed back into the Rainbow Bridge on the complete opposite side of the Bifrӧst, buying you plenty of time before she could attack again. 

Frigga hugged Thor and placed a kiss on his cheek. But before she let him withdraw from the embrace, whispered something in his ear. Loki furrowed his brow as his brother nodded to whatever message she chose to share with him. 

Seeing his eyes on her, she waved to Loki and he nodded back, noting the sadness in her eyes. He certainly wished he got more time with her too. But he was grateful nonetheless to receive a final goodbye. Loki entangled his fingers in yours. For the first time in his life, choosing the path of satisfaction and trusting that he had everything he needed.

Hela sprang back to her feet and snarled as her mother and father sent Thor away on a ribbon of golden tendrils. He whooshed to Loki’s side and smiled at his brother. When he looked at you, you noticed the slightest downturn at the corners of his mouth and a flash of troubled hope in his eyes. Perhaps the exhaustion of family finally caught up to him. 

With their final blessing imparted on Asgard and their sons, Odin and Frigga joined hands to return to their eternity of rest. Hela lunged forward to stab them. But she fell right through their shadow of gilded dust and plunged her blade into the Rainbow Bridge.

Panting with rage, she stared at the cracks in the crystal. It wouldn’t take long for her to find the rest of Asgard. In fact, Heimdall probably already sent everyone off to Midgard. She could easily catch up and rule not just her people, but the ones of Earth. Perhaps this was a gift.

Hela watched her brothers strut away and scowled. She was done being burdened with the curse of family. Rising to her feet, she rolled her neck to regain her composure. Then she called upon the power of Asgard to erupt spires of rock from the ground to pierce the bridge.

She clenched her fingers into her palm and sneered at the destruction before her. Her idiot brothers looked all around as the bridge shook to and fro to her will. One of her spires stabbed Fenris in the side. Hela flinched as the wolf yelped in pain. But she couldn’t dwell.

She had to finish this.

Upon her command, the seas tore apart to unleash the awakened serpent within. Usually wrapped around Asgard and clasping its own tail, the snake finally broke free from the depths of the oceans to join at the final hour of Ragnarök.

It shot up from the cursed waters and screeched a cry that reverberated throughout the land. Hela shrieked in satisfaction as the helpless heroes darted through her spires in their final attempt to reach salvation. The serpent slithered through the devilish terrain she created as if it were bred to swallow hope alive.

She waited until her brothers were at the entrance of the Bifröst before sending a final spire to destroy the last stretch of bridge. But her eyes went wide when the impact of her destruction only sent you flying towards her. The sight of Fenris rushing to your side made her stomach churn.

Aiming for the entire clan of benevolent heroes, she stamped her foot with a huff. But when her younger brother lurched forward to grab you and the elder one held him back, she paused.

It took all of Thor’s pitiful strength to drag Loki into the Bifröst against his thunderous protests. Hela sneered and decided that letting her brothers destroy each other was a far richer fate than even she could give them.

She instead settled for killing you.

Feeling, in that moment, very fortunate indeed.


	17. To Die Dissatisfied is to Live

When you went flying across the Rainbow Bridge, Thor used all of his strength to contain Loki. Still in the threshold of the entryway to the observatory, the brothers tussled to and fro as Loki tried to free himself from Thor’s ironclad grasp.

“We have to let her go!” Thor commanded.

Loki growled and tried to duck from under Thor’s arm. But he grabbed his hair to yank him backward. Loki changed his appearance to that of Jane’s. But Thor only wrinkled his nose and refused to yield.

“You can’t distract me this time. It’s what mother said had to happen,” he pleaded through gritted teeth.

Loki changed back and froze. Turning his head to face his brother, he narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“She said that she has to go. She has to end this.”

“I don’t care what the Fates say. I promised her I’d never leave.”

“Do what you do best and betray her.”

Loki slammed his elbow into Thor’s chin and stabbed him in the abdomen. Throwing his head back from the impact, Thor grabbed a hold of the hilt and growled. 

Loki raced forward to reunite with you. But he stopped when he realized your body was no longer there.

While the brothers fought, Fenris nudged you with his nose. Lying with your back to the bridge, your body still ached from the impact. 

Vision blurry and ears ringing, you tilted your head backward. Upside-down in your gaze, Hela strut towards you with a blade in each hand. Even though she was far away, you could still see her sneering ear to ear.

You dropped your head back to the crystal and paused. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the serpent slithering up Hela’s spires towards the bridge. You barely heard the muffled shouts of Loki and Thor over the pounding in your ears. 

Perhaps you already used up your good fortune for this lifetime. Maybe this was as good of a happy ending you could get as a creature of chaos. 

Could you die satisfied?

As if she had other plans for you, Fate graced you with a hint from the heavens. You noticed a flicker of darkness flash behind Fenris’ ear. 

Redirecting your gaze, you took a sharp inhale as the shadows of two wolves danced across the sky. One chased the sun. The other chased the now visible moon. Sköll and Hati arrived just in time to usher you into the final moment of Ragnarök.

You looked into the eyes of the wolf and murmured, “It’s time, isn’t it?”

He lowered his snout to help you to your feet. You gulped and held your breath as you glanced at the entrance of the observatory. 

Their faces a breath's width apart, Thor whispered to Loki who panted with a snarl. His head was turned so he couldn’t see you. But perhaps that was for the best. Your heart couldn’t hold anything more from that day.

Pressing your forehead to the bridge of Fenris’ nose, you stroked him twice alongside the side of his face. 

“I hope you know what to do next.”

He pressed into your embrace in confirmation. Then he threw his back. 

Launching you straight into the sky.

You gasped as the air soared across your skin. Your heart fluttered as if its own wings could sustain your ascent into the heavens.

Loki’s eyes darted across the bridge. He would never forgive Thor if he was too late to save you. But when he saw Hela shrieking as she gazed upwards, he upturned his own eyes to see you soaring through the air. 

As you reached your apex in the sky, you outstretched your arms to welcome your final salvation. The light of the sun shot into the fingertips of your right hand while the radiance of the moon danced into your left. 

As if suspended by the cosmos, you hung from the sky as an equal to the sun and moon. Your body swallowed the light of both in the final hour of Ragnarök, casting your shadow of darkness across all of Asgard.

Orchestrated by divine instruction, the serpent erupted from the waters with a blood-curdling shriek. Fangs exposed in an insatiable hiss, it reached upwards to pluck you from the sky as its one and only meal. 

No, you would not die satisfied.

Your breath longed to gasp more of life. Your bones cried out for more time to create in the throws of chaos. Your soul screamed for more opportunities to grieve. Your heart beat to the rhythm of your desire to love and be loved.

Finally knowing what true love feels like.

No, satisfaction was not in your nature.

But dissatisfaction was the only destiny fit for the girl who chased both the sun and the moon, for the woman and warrior who dared to want it all. You closed your eyes to refuse your fate, but to accept yourself.

Loki lurched forward to attack the cursed snake. But he was beat by an overbearing gust of air that flew past him. Hulk stormed out of the observatory and pounced on the serpent’s throat. He wrestled it back into the sea as it whistled and cried to the symphony of his grunts and punches.

Thor’s breath caught in his throat as the sight of his friend being swallowed by danger. But he tugged on Loki’s wrist.

“Mother said—”

“I don’t care what she said!”

The world was completely consumed by darkness. You cascaded back to the bridge with a force that shook all of Asgard. The only light that radiated throughout the empty kingdom was a gentle glow from the Bifröst. The seas shook with rage as the water levels erupted from below.

You gasped for air, looking all around for higher ground as water seeped through your boots. Hela scrunched her face as she glanced at each side of the bridge. Nostrils flaring, she started sprinting towards you, determined to make her watery grave yours as well.

Fenris blocked her path and you took two shaky steps backward. But the Goddess of Death slid between his legs, shooting out a glistening trail of water along her body. She sprang to her feet and lunged at you.

You spun around just in time to meet Loki’s body as he slammed into yours. His heroic attempt sent the two of you careering off the bridge and into the rising oceans.

Thor lurched forward to charge after his brother. But Sif yanked his wrist back into the observatory. They retreated just in time for Heimdall to seal it off before Asgard was flooded by the final blackout of Ragnarök.


	18. Frozen in Time

Hela’s eyelids fluttered open, awakened by the stench of a grassy knoll. She clawed at the vegetation underneath her fingertips to dig into the damp earth beneath her. Turning her head to the side, a single snowdrop shivered in the breeze.

She glanced back at the sky and took a deep breath. Rising to her feet, she groaned to see her mother and father standing before her.

“Surely this is Hel after all,” she droned.

“No, Hela,” Odin answered.

Frigga stepped forward and cupped her daughter’s face in her hands. Hela scrunched her nose at the feeling of her mother’s skin upon hers.

“We’re here to bring you home,” Frigga pleaded.

Hela swatted her hands away from her face.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

She outstretched her arms to conjure her weapons. But nothing materialized in her palms. She flung her hands out a few more times and grit her teeth.

“You do not need to fight anymore,” Frigga said.

Hela glared at her parents. Her breathing got heavy, burdened by the unknown.

“I taught you to command armies and wage war.” Odin took a step forward. But Hela jerked back. Yet, he continued.

“I taught you that your only path to not just survival, but acceptance, was through violence and cruelty.”

Hela upturned her lip in a snarl. 

“And then you betrayed all that you taught me to be a benevolent king," she spat. "When I refused to stoop to your cowardice, you cast me out.”

Odin sighed and gave her a solemn nod.

“I was consumed by my own ambition and you paid the price.”

Hela’s breath hitched as she bore her eyes into his. Odin took another step toward her. No matter how much her mind screamed to run, her feet remained frozen in the aching grass.

“I taught you to be a warrior, a fighter.” Odin wrapped his hands around one of hers. Her lip trembled at the softness of his touch. She sucked in a breath and looked away.

“But, Hela. I failed you. Because I never let you be a daughter.”

Hela slammed her eyes shut and gasped a pained breath. Her heart broke under the weight of her humanity. She swallowed the lump in her throat and returned her gaze to her father. Now, looking upon him through misty eyes.

“I only ever wanted you to accept me,” she lamented.

“I know. I whittled you to fit my needs. Then imprisoned you for becoming exactly what I made you become.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch melted away the tension in her aching bones.

“You made your own choices. But I bestowed a misguided compass upon you. Please, allow me to correct my transgressions against you.”

“How?”

“Come home.”

Hela’s gaze flickered to her mother who bowed her head. She returned her eyes to Odin. He looked so soft, so tender. It made her stomach twist in knots. Yet, her child within screamed to be caressed by the benevolent father she always longed for.

She could never trust him in life. But perhaps she could trust him in death. His death freed her once before. Could hers do the same?

For centuries, Hela locked away her heart behind weapons, cruelty, and force. But in the process of banishing her pain, she also imprisoned her heartbreak. The child within who begged to be seen and loved. And finally, in death, that child got to speak.

Yes, it was her time.

Hela took a deep inhale. She allowed the fresh air to purify her heart and cleanse her soul. For this was truly a once in a deathtime opportunity. And she would be a fool to deny her rightful place at home. 

“Yes,” she breathed her final salvation through trembling lips.

Odin smiled with a twinkle in his eye. Hela took a step away from him as Valhalla’s magic enveloped her. The golden dust circled around her body to melt away centuries of brokenness, pain, and loneliness. The rawness of her heartache whittled away to a distant memory.

Hela reemerged from the tresses of divine grace, only to now look upward to see Odin’s face. She furrowed her brow and looked down at her hands.

Her tiny, childish hands.

She drank in a few deep breaths and blinked rapidly. She threw the soft pads of her fingers to the equally gentle flesh of her cheeks: a tenderness she hadn’t felt in an agonizingly long time. She exhaled a great sigh of relief.

No longer burdened by the curse of dissatisfaction.

With one hand in her mother’s and the other in her father’s, Hela escaped her final prison to begin her eternity of true freedom. Never again needing to prove herself to anyone anymore.

Back on Asgard, Thor pounded on the doorway to the observatory and cried out in helplessness.

“We have to find them!”

“There is nothing we can do now,” Heimdall whispered. He stared at the marble floor and sighed. “I cannot see him. We can only wait for the flood to pass. Then reunite with everyone on Midgard.”

“No! I will not leave my brother behind.”

“Thor,” Sif pleaded. “He’s died many times before. He might survive.”

Thor buried his face in his hands and dragged the bottom of his palms across his cheeks. 

“No, all of Asgard was destroyed. It was the only way to defeat Hela. If she died, Loki would too.”

Brunnhilde stepped forward and looked at Thor through sorrowful eyes.

“Even if it’s too late for him, it’s not for everyone else. Your people will need you.”

“I can’t.”

Brunnhilde and Sif exchanged a glance. They retreated in favor of giving him time to grieve. Both warriors also mourned the destruction of their homeland.

Thor threw his body to the floor and leaned against the wall. Hanging his head backward, he gazed upon the gilded ceiling of the observatory. He firmly closed his eyes and wished his parents were still here to guide him. 

For his heart was exhausted from the blessing of family.

The waters continued to slap, lick, and assault the outside of the observatory. But eventually, the cruelty of nature subsided to a gentle whisper bobbing along the golden walls. The oceans retreated to reveal the true brokenness of a kingdom built on the backs of thievery, greed, and unrighteous jurisdiction.

Heimdall breathed in deeply at the sight. He bowed his head and swallowed. Wrapping his hands around the hilt of Hofund, he reopened the observatory to welcome them to the new world of Asgard.

Thor inhaled the scent of rebirth as a breeze flew through the open tower. Shaking, he rose to his feet and took in a sharp inhale. He clenched his teeth and arrived at the entryway. Placing a hand on the side, he looked upon the ruins of Asgard.

Branches, metal, marble, and vegetation alike littered the Rainbow Bridge. Stone crumbled and fell from buildings in the distance. The serpent lay dead, entangled in Hela’s spires. It’s mouth hung open with aching hunger.

Thor took nine steps across the bridge and fell to his knees. He covered his face in his hands as his body shook to the tremors of despair. While his mind knew that Asgard was not a place, his heart was consumed with unbridled grief at the sight of his home in its predestined destruction.

The last of the Odinson line, Thor felt like he might as well have died that day too.

Disrupting him from the throes of his heartache, he sprang to his feet when the serpent started rustling. His heart pounded against the inner walls of his chest as he looked into the snake’s dead eyes. 

As if possessed by a demon from within, the serpent started thrashing back and forth from its throat. Thor gasped when he saw the distinguished shape of a large fist pound out from the snake’s innards.

“Brunnhilde! Your dragonfang!” Thor cried for help.

The Valkyrie dashed to his side and stabbed the snake. She dragged her blade across its flesh to free a groaning Hulk from the belly of the beast. He collapsed to the Rainbow Bridge and returned the burden of existence to Bruce.

“Oh god,” Bruce gasped. “That was awful. It was disgusting in there. We had to take turns it was so gross.” 

Brunnhilde helped him to his feet and wrapped him in her cape. He used the ends in a feeble attempt to wipe the blood, mucus, and memory of that wretched place from his face.

Thor shook him by the shoulders. 

“Loki, where is Loki?”

“I-I don’t know. I was a little preoccupied.” He gestured to the gutted snake.

Thor shook his head and glanced downward. “Right, sorry.”

He tangled his fingers in his hair and paced along the bridge. If Bruce managed to survive, was it cruel of him to have hope for his brother too? 

Wrapping his hand around the back of his neck, Thor glanced downward. But his gaze stopped when he saw Fenris nestled in a circle of Hela’s spires. He jumped from the bridge to approach the wolf, unsure if the events of Ragnarök stole its life too. The gravel rolled under his feet as he cautiously stepped forward.

Thor slowly outstretched his hand. But sharply withdrew it when Fenris blasted an angry breath through his snout. His eyelid flew open and pupil dilated as he glared at Thor. Fenris curled his front legs closer to his body and bared his teeth with a growl.

Thor pressed his palms outward and gently shook his head.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m looking for them. I’m looking for her. I just want to know they’re safe.”

The wolf narrowed his eye. But relaxed the muscles around his jaw to cease growling at the desperate creature before him. After staring at Thor for a moment and deeming his intentions trustworthy, he slowly lowered his leg to reveal the treasure tucked within.

In his Jötun form, Loki gasped as he let the Casket of Ancient Winters fall from his grasp. The block of ice he created broke apart to free your bodies from its protection. He panted as he lazily raised his eyes to look at Thor.

“She was sent to destroy all of Asgard. I needed power beyond it in order to save her.”

Loki returned his focus to you and stroked the side of your cheek. With his hand under your upper back, he gently shook you to bring you back to the waking world. Your eyelids fluttered open and instantly locked onto his crimson ones.

Loki’s breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t exhale. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. His eyes bore into yours, ready to bolt at any moment.

“Hey there, pretty eyes,” you croaked.

He gasped a cry of relief and buried his face in the crook of your neck. You used every ounce of strength to raise your hand into his hair, using the weight of your palm to bring him closer to you.

Loki cradled your head in his hand with the utmost tenderness. He brought your lips to his. But when you sucked in a breath at the coolness of his touch, he pulled away. 

You drank in his form like this, cherishing the vulnerability of a man ready to leap off the ledge of rejection. But Loki’s jaw relaxed and muscles softened when the corner of your lip upturned in a gentle smile.

“You are my love language,” you breathed before pulling him into an even deeper kiss.

A moment of satisfaction forever frozen in time.


	19. Rightful Rulers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what an incredible journey this turned out to be. I had NO idea where this story was headed when I started and I’m just so incredibly grateful for how it decided to tell itself. Thank you so much for coming along with me! We’re just going to say that IW didn’t happen because I’ll have an aneurysm. Enjoy!
> 
> More notes at the end on the Norse lore that I used. If you’re curious!
> 
> (also, I'm not saying that Loki ended up with a genius (mechanic), billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. But yeah. He ended up with a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist xD that was a complete accident on my part)

Your first few years on Asgard flew by faster than your ship hurtling through the skies of Sakaar. Heimdall brought the Asgardians back via the Bifröst and your people began the tedious work of rebuilding the gilded empire.

Thor insisted on returning to Midgard to help the people of Earth. He said that Asgard had all the rightful leadership it needed. Bruce, for one, was grateful to be escorted from the alien planet. But not without you promising to give him your notes on the communication device for him and Hulk.

As planned, Korg was successful in his revolution and overthrew the Grandmaster. He and Topaz became janitors at your former palace, spending most of their time with scum. 

You transferred a generous portion of your units to Korg and some to the bartender. She opened an establishment of her own and mastered the Trickster cocktail that quickly became a local favorite.

Every year, Sakaar celebrates Loki Death Day. The city erupts in parades of green and gold. People rename their firstborns Loki for an indistinguishable amount of time. And restaurants compete to make both the most delicious and disgusting dishes named after your diva Trickster.

You and Loki return each year as hallowed guests. He loves reenacting his many glorious deaths just as much as his audience loves watching. You’d be a fool to deny that you enjoy it too.

Preparing for your annual getaway, Loki finished packing your bags. You leaned on the doorway to watch him with a gentle smile. Luggage in hand, he turned around and sighed.

You raised your eyebrows. “Every year.”

“I know you love it, but I hate this part.”

“I know.”

“At least we have a wormhole to expedite our travels.”

You smirked and trotted off to the garage. Asgard was home to grandeur, luxury, and opulence. But you made some necessary upgrades to the stuffy city of gold.

After the desolation of your new homeland, your ship barely made it through in one piece. You dedicated nearly all of your free time to repair it as you refused to take any form of Asgardian transportation.

Naturally, Loki was never thrilled to go careering through the puny canister, even if you graced him with the honor of picking the music. But in the midst of rebuilding a kingdom, you were both lucky to have  _ any _ top-of-the-line ship at your disposal.

You stopped at the entrance to the garage and glanced at Loki. Your eyes flickered between the keypad and his terror-stricken face. 

“No, no. I’m not touching that,” he snipped.

“But this is exactly why you have your own access codes.”

“Yes, so you could shoot me with poison darts.”

“Thor loved it. He said the video went, what do they call it, ‘viral’ on Midgard.”

Loki wrinkled his nose and frowned.

“Oh, c’mon. You love the attention.”

You stepped forward and removed the bags from his hands and set them on the floor. Wrapping your arms around his waist, you drew him close to you. He grimaced and stiffened his muscles. But you thread your fingers through his hair and kissed his unwilling lips. 

After a breath, Loki yielded to your affection and returned your kiss. You moaned softly as he nipped your bottom lip then trailed kisses along your jawline and neck. Leaning your head back to grant him access to your tender flesh, you fluttered your eyelids closed.

“You know, I have a surprise waiting for you on the other side. When you’re finally brave enough to open that door.”

Loki stole your breath with a kiss and wrapped his hand around the back of your neck.

“I’m too clever to need such a superfluous sentiment as bravery,” he breathed onto your lips.

You leaned in to kiss him again. But threw your head back when the familiar touch of a cool blade was on your throat. He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the keypad and then back to you.

“If you try anything, I’ll kill you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, pretty eyes.”

You withdrew your blade from his abdomen as he lowered his from your throat. He faced the keypad and glared at you. Raising your hand in surrender, you shook your head.

“No tricks,” you promised.

Loki scowled and punched in the numbers. When he hit the last button, he yanked his hand away from the infernal contraption as it gave him a friendly zap. Barely above a whisper, Thor’s voice rumbled from the keypad.

“Gotcha!”

Loki spun around to growl at you. 

“Must be an issue with the wiring. I’ll take care of it.” You shrugged.

“Don’t insult me by saying I’d dare to fall in love with someone so stupid. You never have ‘issues with wiring.’”

He mocked the last words with a haughty tone.

“And that was Thor’s voice!”

You tilted your head to the side. “Are you mad? You must be hearing things. Perhaps we should have a healer look at you before our travels.”

Loki rolled his eyes and grumbled. He gestured to the door.

“It still didn’t open. Why must you torment me?”

“Like I said, it must be a wiring error.” You took his place by the keypad and typed in your own code. Obediently, the garage doors began to open. You turned to Loki.

“I swear, I felt a little zap, too. I’ll get it fixed when we get back.”

Loki snickered and you cocked an eyebrow. But before you could make much of the Tricker’s expression, the illusion faded and his real form wrapped his hands around your throat from behind. He leaned in to brush his lips against your earlobe.

“I told you if you tried anything, I’d kill you.”

You spun around and yanked his face to yours. Between fevered kisses, you whispered. 

“Careful there, attempted murder is my love language.”

“You say that like we’ll—”

You withdrew from his touch before he could finish the sentence to show him your surprise.

Loki’s eyes widened at the sight of a brand new ship. It was gilded with black, green, and gold and had ample space for the both of you.

The rightful God of Mischief and Queen of Chaos.

You pecked his cheek and picked up your bags. A few steps in front of the driver’s side, you turned your head. Gesturing to the door, you smiled.

“I think it’s time for you to die. I better be devastated.”

Loki smirked and stepped forward. He wrapped his hands around your face and pressed his forehead to yours.

“Oh darling, I can’t wait to break your heart.”

“You can do anything you want to me.” You stroked his hair and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. “But I still get to pick the music.”

Loki breathed a laugh and brought you into an embrace.

Feeling, in every moment with you, very fortunate indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’re curious about the Norse lore that I used, these are the big ones. Most comes from [this article.](https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/story-ragnarok-and-apocalypse-001352)
> 
> During Freya’s first winter on Asgard, she missed the vegetation of Vanaheim. She cried and [her tears became snowdrops.](http://www.northernshamanism.org/asgard.html) Loved the parallel here since Sakaar has ZERO vegetation except for a little bit of fungus. Which reader put to brilliant use ;)  
> Heimdall uses his trumpet Gjallarhorn to reach Valhalla and bring back the dead. Why they didn’t use this in the movie, I will never know. BUT it gave me the opportunity to write that as I wanted. Which I’m so grateful for.  
> The seas tear apart and the World Serpent rises from the oceans to join the fight. The serpent is so large, it circles the Earth and grasps its own tail.
> 
> After fighting the serpent, Thor takes nine steps and drops DED. In the lore, most of the gods die and humans are collateral damage in their war.
> 
> [Skӧll and Hati](https://norse-mythology.org/skoll-hati/) are two wolves (some say are Fenrir’s children) who chase the sun and the moon. In the final hour of Ragnarӧk, they capture their prey and the world descends into darkness.
> 
> Some lore says that Ragnarӧk is purely the end of the days. But in later years, it evolved to also usher in a new era of rebirth with two humans who repopulate the planet. I’m a big fan of rebirth. We can all start anew. But usually, we have to break down and cleanse out the old.
> 
> Also, forgot to mention in this chapter, but Korg turns the Contest of Champions into a highly successful, profitable, and consensual sports franchise :)
> 
> Thank you again for reading along with me. This story was a blessing to get to write. Come hang out with me on [Tumblr](http://melanoms.tumblr.com) for requests, more behind the scenes, and to say hi!
> 
> Onto the next adventure.
> 
> xo,  
> Melanie


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